Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Purchases Shares of 20,100 American Financial Group, Inc. $AFG

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 20,100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,567,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AFG. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. grew its position in American Financial Group by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. grew its position in American Financial Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 13,603 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,737,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in American Financial Group by 119.6% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 41,297 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,274,000 after purchasing an additional 22,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in American Financial Group by 72.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 97,590 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,346,000 after purchasing an additional 40,888 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG opened at $139.67 on Tuesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.11 and a 12-month high of $150.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $133.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.91.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 19.50%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $312,333.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,825,765. The trade was a 14.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total value of $1,535,518.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 584,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,882,434.90. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.00.

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.