Brian Hertzman Sells 1,663 Shares of American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Stock

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) CFO Brian Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total value of $222,343.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,614,160.10. This trade represents a 12.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG opened at $132.05 on Wednesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.73 and a 1-year high of $150.02. The company has a market cap of $11.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $131.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 16th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFG has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.25.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 8.0% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 278,279 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,551,000 after purchasing an additional 20,554 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in American Financial Group by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 335,673 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,914,000 after purchasing an additional 29,593 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,790,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 64,591 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,152,000 after buying an additional 9,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 33.6% during the second quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 94,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $11,963,000 after buying an additional 23,838 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Company Profile

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.