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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com 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 price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $143.75.

Several research analysts have weighed in on AFG shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on American Financial Group from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total value of $222,343.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,614,160.10. This trade represents a 12.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $114,661,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 20,131.5% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 637,090 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $87,077,000 after buying an additional 633,941 shares during the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 100,006.8% in the fourth quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 600,641 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $82,096,000 after buying an additional 600,041 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 12.9% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $431,906,000 after buying an additional 337,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 337.1% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 431,144 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $55,061,000 after buying an additional 332,517 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $136.29 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $130.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $132.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.48. American Financial Group has a one year low of $120.52 and a one year high of $150.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96 and a beta of 0.65.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 11.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.46%.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.