American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, an increase of 16.7% from the February 13th total of 1,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 420,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFG. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in American Financial Group by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $125.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $128.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.06. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $118.97 and a 52 week high of $150.19.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

American Financial Group Company 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.