Analysts Set American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) PT at $144.00

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $144.00.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AFG. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.70, for a total transaction of $222,343.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,614,160.10. The trade was a 12.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $431,906,000 after acquiring an additional 337,573 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,567,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $350,956,000 after acquiring an additional 57,246 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,732,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $236,645,000 after acquiring an additional 29,731 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,266,001 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $173,045,000 after acquiring an additional 138,483 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew 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 period. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $129.69 on Friday. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $120.52 and a twelve month high of $150.02. The firm has a market cap of $10.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $129.75 and a 200 day moving average of $132.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.30% and a return on equity of 18.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 34.96%.

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.