Capula Management Ltd Acquires New Position in American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Capula Management Ltd bought a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 14,324 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,087,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $106,707,000. Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 64,631.3% during the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 388,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,018,000 after acquiring an additional 387,788 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $431,906,000 after acquiring an additional 337,573 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 316.8% in the 3rd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 198,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,930,000 after purchasing an additional 150,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 4,221.5% in the 3rd quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 132,886 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $19,364,000 after purchasing an additional 129,811 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.25.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total transaction of $222,343.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,614,160.10. This represents a 12.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $128.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.23. American Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.02. The firm has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $130.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.30.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 18.64%. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 16th were given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 34.96%.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.