American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Analysts

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG – Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $152.75.

AFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 17th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $153.00 to $147.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on American Financial Group from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th.

Read Our Latest Research Report on American Financial Group

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $150.63 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $123.09 and a fifty-two week high of $154.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $143.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.70. The firm has a market cap of $12.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 0.59.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG – Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%. American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 12.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th were given a $0.97 dividend. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 15th. This is a positive change from American Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 33.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Brian Hertzman sold 950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total transaction of $135,726.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,589,143.01. This represents a 7.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Mark Weiss sold 2,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total value of $407,209.88. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at $962,364.48. This trade represents a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 4.9% in the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,502 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 1.5% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,759 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. raised its position in American Financial Group by 11.5% in the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in American Financial Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 8,307 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,061,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

About American Financial Group

(Get Free Report)

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE:AFG) is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its Great American Insurance Group operations, the company primarily provides property and casualty insurance, with an emphasis on specialty commercial products and markets.

Its insurance offerings serve businesses, organizations and individuals across a range of industries. Product lines have included commercial property and liability coverage, workers’ compensation, transportation, agriculture and crop insurance, marine and other specialty risks.

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