Allianz Asset Management GmbH Grows Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 262,014 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 18,938 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $35,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,798 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in American Financial Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,649,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Financial Group by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $119.80 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.83. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.97 and a 12 month high of $150.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.