Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Decreases Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,014 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 12,538 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $8,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 132.5% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 44.8% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 323 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $52,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE AFG traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $130.00. The company had a trading volume of 11,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,548. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $105.22 and a fifty-two week high of $137.71. The company has a market capitalization of $10.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $129.50 and its 200 day moving average is $120.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 22.14% and a net margin of 10.89%. American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AFG. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $129.00 price target on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total value of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,511.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total value of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,511.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lehman John I. Von sold 1,773 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.48, for a total transaction of $222,476.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,548,799.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,843 shares of company stock valued at $1,854,746 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

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.