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

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $147.00.

AFG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $312,333.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,135 shares in the company, valued at $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total transaction of $1,535,518.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 584,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,882,434.90. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 904.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 86.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of AFG opened at $141.11 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $11.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.17. American Financial Group has a 1 year low of $122.11 and a 1 year high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group will post 11.37 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 33.46%.

About American Financial Group

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.