American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 55.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,837 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $130,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 320.7% in the third quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $127.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.93. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share 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, equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AFG. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Profile

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.