MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,288 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,727 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $5,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 44.3% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 433 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 200.0% during the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $85,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AFG. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of American Financial Group stock opened at $146.86 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $136.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.42. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $110.87 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76 and a beta of 0.79.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 10.84%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a None dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $4.00 dividend. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous None dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.99%.

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.