American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $132.36 and traded as high as $142.99. American Financial Group shares last traded at $142.2550, with a volume of 326,039 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on American Financial Group from $140.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $150.75.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $11.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.50% and a net margin of 10.76%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 33.46%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total transaction of $1,535,518.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 584,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,882,434.90. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $312,333.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS Group AG lifted its position in American Financial Group by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 581,805 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $79,521,000 after purchasing an additional 53,431 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,567,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 3,295.3% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 93,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,748,000 after purchasing an additional 90,523 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,806 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after buying an additional 7,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 146.3% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 101,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,805,000 after buying an additional 60,000 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About American Financial Group

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.