Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Has $80.21 Million Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 585,751 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,539 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $80,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 151,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,782,000 after acquiring an additional 3,911 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,837 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 333,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,832,000 after acquiring an additional 146,237 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 49,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,833,000 after acquiring an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 31,362 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AFG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $128.56 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.83. American Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.97 and a one year high of $150.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $131.28 and its 200-day moving average is $134.55.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Equities analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $2.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.27%.

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.