Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Buys 535 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $6,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 836,619 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $102,921,000 after buying an additional 7,797 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 576,174 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $70,881,000 after acquiring an additional 2,389 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 8.6% during the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 492,021 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $60,528,000 after purchasing an additional 38,937 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 431,218 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,048,000 after acquiring an additional 11,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EULAV Asset Management grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 8.4% in the first quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 406,092 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,423,000 after purchasing an additional 31,574 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $142.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $130.19. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.39 and a 52-week high of $144.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.20). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.88 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a None dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $4.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous None dividend of $1.00. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th.

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.