Wells Fargo & Company Cuts American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Price Target to $160.00

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) had its price objective lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on AFG. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on American Financial Group from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $141.25.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE AFG opened at $131.22 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 0.71. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $133.24 and a 200 day moving average of $135.08.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 10.30%.American Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. American Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.000 EPS. Sell-side 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 disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 16th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in American Financial Group by 12.9% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $431,906,000 after buying an additional 337,573 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $323,782,000 after acquiring an additional 44,710 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,127,518 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $164,293,000 after acquiring an additional 110,872 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,026,783 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $149,623,000 after acquiring an additional 255,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $106,707,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.