SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 7,144 Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 54.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,088 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 7,144 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 402.3% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 432 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 44.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 433 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 10,460.0% in the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.0 %

AFG stock opened at $135.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.46. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.22 and a 12 month high of $138.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $132.60 and its 200 day moving average is $129.67. The company has a market capitalization of $11.40 billion, a PE ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.78.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.11. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.06% and a return on equity of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.38 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.99 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup downgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $144.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Friday, June 28th.

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.