9,936 Shares in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Purchased by Sciencast Management LP

Sciencast Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,936 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,191,000. American Financial Group makes up about 1.0% of Sciencast Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brookstone Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $226,000. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 226.5% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,611 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,210,000 after acquiring an additional 12,910 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP boosted its position in American Financial Group by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 24,467 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,973,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its position in American Financial Group by 57.4% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 7,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $881,000 after acquiring an additional 2,644 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 128,147 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,570,000 after acquiring an additional 17,316 shares in the last quarter. 63.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.1 %

AFG stock opened at $113.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 0.83. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.58 and a 1 year high of $150.98. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.47). The company had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 22.51% and a net margin of 11.38%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 14th were given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 25.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AFG. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $162.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.75.

American Financial Group Profile

American Financial Group, Inc, an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. It 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.