Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 1,809 American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 1,809 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $243,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AFG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in American Financial Group by 0.9% in the 2nd 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. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 0.4% during the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 576,174 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $70,881,000 after acquiring an additional 2,389 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its position in 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 last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, EULAV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 8.4% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $128.68 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.46. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $106.62 and a 52 week high of $138.81. The firm has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 0.78.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.06% and a return on equity of 21.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th were given a $0.80 dividend. This is an increase from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, BMO Capital Markets lifted 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.

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.