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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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.

American Financial Group Price Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $125.15 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $128.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group has a 1 year low of $118.97 and a 1 year high of $150.19.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share 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 research analysts anticipate that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $121.00 per share, with a total value of $363,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 86.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Natixis purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

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.