American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Purchased by Argent Capital Management LLC

Argent Capital Management LLC raised its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,362 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,787 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings in American Financial Group were worth $4,294,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,059 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,206,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,691 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $631,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AFG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $165.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.4 %

American Financial Group stock traded up $1.88 during trading on Thursday, reaching $137.83. The company had a trading volume of 215,905 shares, compared to its average volume of 273,725. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.64 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $139.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.20). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.84% and a return on equity of 19.97%. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. American Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. American Financial Group's payout ratio is 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.