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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) saw 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 presently 3.0 days. Currently, 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Activity

In other American Financial Group news, Director Gregory G. Joseph bought 3,000 shares of the 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 acquisition, the director now 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 14.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 86.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of AFG traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $125.01. The stock had a trading volume of 589,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 319,596. American Financial Group has a 1-year low of $118.97 and a 1-year high of $150.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.18. 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 quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.27%.

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 lowered their price objective 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.