American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG – Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on AFG. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on American Financial Group from $153.00 to $147.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on American Financial Group from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $152.75.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AFG

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG opened at $149.25 on Friday. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $123.09 and a twelve month high of $149.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.38 billion, a PE ratio of 13.05 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $142.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.01.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 20.35%. The company had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.14 EPS. American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 12.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total transaction of $407,209.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,364.48. This represents a 29.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total value of $135,726.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,589,143.01. The trade was a 7.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 16.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 41.3% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 57.3% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 327,673 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,813,000 after purchasing an additional 119,411 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 123,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $16,821,000 after purchasing an additional 22,000 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,502 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC raised its position in American Financial Group by 75.3% in the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 2,610 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

About American Financial Group

(Get Free Report)

American Financial Group, Inc is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its Great American Insurance Group businesses, the company primarily provides property and casualty insurance products, with an emphasis on specialty commercial markets that require specialized underwriting expertise.

Its insurance offerings include coverage for commercial transportation, agriculture, workers’ compensation, excess and surplus risks, environmental exposures, inland marine, and other niche industries.

See Also

Analyst Recommendations for American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG)

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