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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,610,000 shares, an increase of 22.0% from the March 15th total of 1,320,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 562,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 2.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.9 %

AFG stock traded down $2.48 on Monday, reaching $125.49. 307,292 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 373,336. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.67. The company has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its 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%. Research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $122,419,000. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 89.5% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $92,134,000 after purchasing an additional 317,859 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 802,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $109,827,000 after buying an additional 211,630 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 997,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $136,566,000 after purchasing an additional 207,285 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $20,675,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.