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

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $142.50.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AFG shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total transaction of $253,240.27. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,610,363. This represents a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in American Financial Group by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,905,000 after purchasing an additional 7,554 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,330,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 145.8% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,278 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the first quarter worth $1,819,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in American Financial Group by 31.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,198 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AFG opened at $130.93 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $135.97 and its 200-day moving average is $134.89. American Financial Group has a 52-week low of $114.73 and a 52-week high of $150.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.75 and a beta of 0.70.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 9.66%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.97%.

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.