Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 3,919 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 427,299 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 3,919 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.51% of American Financial Group worth $57,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 402.3% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 432 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 44.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 433 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 10,460.0% in the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup downgraded American Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $144.00 to $137.00 in a report on Friday, June 28th.

American Financial Group Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of AFG stock traded down $3.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $129.41. 249,818 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 301,110. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $134.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.66. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.62 and a 12-month high of $138.81. The stock has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.78.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.11. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 21.16% and a net margin of 11.06%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 15th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. This is a boost from American Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.19%.

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.