American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $136.75.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.2%

American Financial Group stock opened at $139.81 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $130.77 and its 200-day moving average is $127.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47. American Financial Group has a 1 year low of $114.73 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The company has a market cap of $11.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.73.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. American Financial Group had a net margin of 9.21% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In related news, Director Stephen Craig Lindner, Jr. sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.31, for a total value of $1,343,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 326,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,883,106.30. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan increased its stake in American Financial Group by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. American Financial Group Inc. 401 K Retirement & Savings Plan now owns 2,616,928 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $343,707,000 after buying an additional 23,228 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in American Financial Group by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,565,424 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $323,782,000 after buying an additional 44,710 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in American Financial Group by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 983,398 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,147,000 after buying an additional 14,265 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $106,707,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in American Financial Group by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 820,955 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $107,824,000 after buying an additional 18,886 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc, an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. The company offers property and transportation insurance products, such as physical damage and liability coverage for buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine, agricultural-related products, and other commercial property and specialty transportation coverages; specialty casualty insurance, including primarily excess and surplus, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty coverage in targeted markets, as well as customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses and workers’ compensation insurance; and specialty financial insurance products comprising risk management insurance programs for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety products, and trade credit insurance.