Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Outlook for AFG Earnings

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for American Financial Group in a report released on Friday, September 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings of $11.80 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $11.95. The consensus estimate for American Financial Group’s current full-year earnings is $12.17 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Financial Group’s Q4 2027 earnings at $3.73 EPS.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $156.00.

American Financial Group Stock Down 0.6%

AFG opened at $141.45 on Tuesday. American Financial Group has a one year low of $123.09 and a one year high of $150.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $143.06 and its 200-day moving average is $136.28. The company has a market capitalization of $11.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,079,329,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,732,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $236,645,000 after purchasing an additional 29,731 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 19.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,506,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $192,395,000 after purchasing an additional 240,509 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $114,661,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter worth $102,590,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total transaction of $407,209.88. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,364.48. The trade was a 29.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were 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 $1,825,765. This represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 6,010 shares of company stock valued at $855,269 over the last three months. Company insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.77%.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE:AFG) is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its Great American Insurance Group subsidiaries, the company primarily underwrites specialty property and casualty insurance and sells annuity products.

Its property and casualty operations serve businesses, organizations and individuals through specialized products that include commercial transportation, agricultural and crop insurance, workers’ compensation, casualty coverage, financial institution insurance, surety and fidelity bonds, marine insurance, travel insurance and public-sector coverage.