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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $142.50.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AFG. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th.

American Financial Group Price Performance

AFG stock opened at $131.57 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $136.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.73. American Financial Group has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.34. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 9.66%.The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.97%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total value of $253,240.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,300 shares in the company, valued at $1,610,363. The trade was a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 72.5% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 57,894 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,249,000 after purchasing an additional 24,334 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the second quarter worth $1,790,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 16.7% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 64,591 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,152,000 after acquiring an additional 9,263 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in American Financial Group by 10.3% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 306,080 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,630,000 after purchasing an additional 28,626 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its stake in American Financial Group by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 94,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,963,000 after purchasing an additional 23,838 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

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.