American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 22.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 172,360 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 51,238 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of American Financial Group worth $23,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 37,701 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $5,145,000 after purchasing an additional 4,420 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 360.7% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 27,155 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,706,000 after buying an additional 21,261 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 308.5% in the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 24,080 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,286,000 after acquiring an additional 18,185 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $987,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 302.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 51,509 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,337,000 after acquiring an additional 38,718 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AFG shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.4 %

AFG traded down $2.00 on Thursday, hitting $141.79. 164,177 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 302,226. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $134.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.39 and a twelve month high of $144.81. The company has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.20). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.88 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a None dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $4.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This is an increase from American Financial Group's previous None dividend of $1.00. American Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 29.99%.

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.