Brian Hertzman Sells 1,777 Shares of American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Stock

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) CFO Brian Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total transaction of $253,240.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,610,363. The trade was a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG stock opened at $142.32 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $138.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.78.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.34. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 9.21%.The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.97%.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 421.1% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 198 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the first quarter worth about $34,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 13th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $137.00.

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.