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

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFGGet Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $156.00.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AFG

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total transaction of $135,726.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 11,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,589,143.01. The trade was a 7.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total value of $1,535,518.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 584,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,882,434.90. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,380 shares of company stock valued at $2,390,788. Company insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steph & Co. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 11.5% in the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.4% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 8,307 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.0% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 3,061 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $391,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in American Financial Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $621,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $144.45 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $142.86 and a 200 day moving average of $135.35. 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 company has a market cap of $11.98 billion, a PE ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.60. American Financial Group has a 12-month low of $123.09 and a 12-month high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFGGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 20.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 12.13 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 30.77%.

About American Financial Group

(Get Free Report)

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.

Featured Stories

Analyst Recommendations for American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG)

Receive News & Ratings for American Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.