Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Grows Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in American Financial Group by 251.1% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 147,892 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $19,442,000 after purchasing an additional 105,764 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 123.4% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,050 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,486,000 after acquiring an additional 63,541 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 13.4% in the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 396,355 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,095,000 after acquiring an additional 46,702 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 38,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2,269.4% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,527 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,740,000 after acquiring an additional 36,901 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Up 5.0 %

Shares of AFG stock opened at $133.76 on Thursday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $107.11 and a 12-month high of $138.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $133.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.20). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 21.16% and a net margin of 11.06%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $4.00 dividend. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on American Financial Group from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th.

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.