Symmetry Partners LLC Takes $219,000 Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Symmetry Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,606 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 67.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 17,584 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,092,000 after buying an additional 7,073 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,133,000. Slagle Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 103.7% during the 4th quarter. Slagle Financial LLC now owns 28,730 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,416,000 after purchasing an additional 14,623 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.0% during 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. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $418,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of AFG stock traded up $1.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $126.43. The company had a trading volume of 193,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 301,880. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.22 and a 12 month high of $137.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.39. The company has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.70 by $0.06. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 21.34% and a net margin of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 27.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AFG shares. Citigroup upped their target price on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $135.00.

American Financial Group 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.