Gregory G. Joseph Purchases 3,000 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.4 %

American Financial Group stock opened at $120.30 on Tuesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $132.44 and a 200 day moving average of $134.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on AFG. Piper Sandler upped their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,287,861 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,134,857,000 after purchasing an additional 99,560 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $742,501,000 after purchasing an additional 202,522 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $362,526,000 after purchasing an additional 104,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,595,346 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $218,146,000 after buying an additional 42,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $136,566,000 after buying an additional 207,285 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

About American Financial Group

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.