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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research 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 brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $156.00.

AFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total transaction of $312,333.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total value of $407,209.88. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at $962,364.48. The trade was a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 16,430 shares of company stock worth $2,255,061 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 904.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of AFG stock opened at $142.55 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.86. The company has a market cap of $11.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $123.09 and a twelve month high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 12.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.77%.

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.