Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 570,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. owned 0.68% of American Financial Group worth $78,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,782,000 after buying an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 55.2% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,837 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,237 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,833,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,787 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $127.12 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $130.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.49. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.97 and a 52-week high of $150.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 0.79.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective 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. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

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.