Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 85 shares during the quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 270.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,156 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $818,000 after buying an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in American Financial Group by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 9,218 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,240,000 after buying an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 12,777 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,720,000 after acquiring an additional 1,764 shares during the period. Finally, F M Investments LLC bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $355,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 57,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $125.18 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $131.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.50. American Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $118.97 and a twelve month high of $150.19.

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

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AFG. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of 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 boosted their target price 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 downgraded American Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

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.