2,925 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Acquired by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $402,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 966.7% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 70,391 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,639,000 after purchasing an additional 63,792 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,707 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 13,978 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,201 shares during the period. Finally, Sims Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $796,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AFG. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $125.96 on Wednesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $10.58 billion, a PE ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $131.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.53.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. Research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc, an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. The company offers property and transportation insurance products, such as physical damage and liability coverage for buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine, agricultural-related products, and other commercial property and specialty transportation coverages; specialty casualty insurance, including primarily excess and surplus, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty coverage in targeted markets, as well as customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses and workers’ compensation insurance; and specialty financial insurance products comprising risk management insurance programs for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety products, and trade credit insurance.