Sanctuary Advisors LLC Invests $620,000 in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,867 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $620,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 0.9% during 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. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 648,878 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $77,145,000 after purchasing an additional 18,945 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 0.4% in the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 576,174 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $70,881,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 8.6% in 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. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 2.8% in the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 431,218 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $53,048,000 after purchasing an additional 11,897 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $137.30 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $132.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.22 and a 1-year high of $138.81.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.06% and a return on equity of 21.16%. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.38 EPS. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 15th will be given a $0.80 dividend. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.62%.

American Financial Group Company 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.