Analysts Set American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Target Price at $145.25

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $145.25.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AFG shares. Weiss Ratings raised American Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on American Financial Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on American Financial Group from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report 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 that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 12,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,614,160.10. The trade was a 12.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,905,000 after buying an additional 7,554 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $2,330,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 145.8% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,278 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in American Financial Group by 50.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 307,874 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,857,000 after acquiring an additional 103,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 23.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 182,284 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,006,000 after purchasing an additional 34,027 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Financial Group Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE AFG opened at $129.70 on Tuesday. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $114.73 and a 52 week high of $150.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $129.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.69.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Monday, February 16th were paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.96%.

American Financial Group Company Profile

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.