American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Short Interest Update

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,540,601 shares, a drop of 22.0% from the February 26th total of 1,975,172 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 459,785 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

American Financial Group Stock Down 2.6%

AFG opened at $125.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $10.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 0.69. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.02. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $129.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.57.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 18.64%. American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the business’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 owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at $1,614,160.10. The trade was a 12.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 17.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 12.9% during 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,567,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $350,956,000 after acquiring an additional 57,246 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,732,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $236,645,000 after acquiring an additional 29,731 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,266,001 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $173,045,000 after purchasing an additional 138,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 33.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,026,783 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $149,623,000 after purchasing an additional 255,693 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on AFG shares. Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.25.

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.