American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Short Interest Update

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 725,000 shares, a growth of 9.3% from the July 15th total of 663,600 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 274,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.2 %

American Financial Group stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $129.41. The stock had a trading volume of 57,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 301,555. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $125.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.53. American Financial Group has a 12 month low of $105.22 and a 12 month high of $137.71. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.78.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 15th were paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.18%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Amy Y. Murray acquired 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $125.17 per share, for a total transaction of $150,204.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,204. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $97,304,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,838,501 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $456,359,000 after acquiring an additional 191,269 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 423,162 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $50,310,000 after purchasing an additional 163,671 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of 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. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in American Financial Group by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 264,183 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,409,000 after purchasing an additional 80,034 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup cut American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $144.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $131.75.

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.