Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,806 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 542 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,944,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 7,797 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 0.4% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 8.6% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.8% in the 2nd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Citigroup lowered American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $144.00 to $137.00 in a research report on Friday, June 28th.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG stock opened at $135.34 on Wednesday. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $105.22 and a 12-month high of $137.95. 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 simple moving average is $131.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.43. The firm has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.95 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.11. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 21.16% and a net margin of 11.06%. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.96 EPS for the current year.

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.