Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Buys 2,789 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 55.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,837 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,073,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,798 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:AFG traded down $1.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.28. The stock had a trading volume of 546,466 shares, compared to its average volume of 364,639. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.77. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The stock has a market cap of $10.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 0.83.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. On average, research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on AFG. 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 report on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered American Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

American Financial Group 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.