American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $156.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total value of $407,209.88. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,364.48. The trade was a 29.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 950 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total value of $135,726.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,589,143.01. The trade was a 7.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,010 shares of company stock worth $855,269. Company insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 9.3% in the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 5,323 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the second quarter worth $350,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $332,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 7,845.5% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,748 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in American Financial Group by 76.4% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AFG opened at $141.45 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $143.06 and a 200-day moving average of $136.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. American Financial Group has a 1-year low of $123.09 and a 1-year high of $150.02. The firm has a market cap of $11.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.60.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 20.35%. American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.77%.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE:AFG) is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its Great American Insurance Group subsidiaries, the company primarily underwrites specialty property and casualty insurance and sells annuity products.

Its property and casualty operations serve businesses, organizations and individuals through specialized products that include commercial transportation, agricultural and crop insurance, workers’ compensation, casualty coverage, financial institution insurance, surety and fidelity bonds, marine insurance, travel insurance and public-sector coverage.