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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $147.00.

A number of research analysts recently commented on AFG shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler lifted 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 reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

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

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.07). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 11.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AFG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $114,661,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in American Financial Group by 20,131.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in American Financial Group by 100,006.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in American Financial Group by 337.1% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 431,144 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,061,000 after buying an additional 332,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,832,000. 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.