American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Bought by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,911 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.18% of American Financial Group worth $20,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in American Financial Group by 78.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,832,000 after buying an additional 146,237 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in American Financial Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after buying an additional 7,365 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,294,000 after buying an additional 2,787 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 166.1% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $953,000 after buying an additional 4,418 shares during the period. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AFG shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:AFG opened at $125.06 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $135.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.85. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.97 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. Equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

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.