American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Given New $135.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) had its target price hoisted by Piper Sandler from $129.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Separately, Citigroup raised their target price on American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $135.00.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AFG opened at $131.11 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.79. American Financial Group has a 12-month low of $105.22 and a 12-month high of $137.71. The business has a 50 day moving average of $130.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.03% and a return on equity of 21.56%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 10.99 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 12th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lehman John I. Von sold 1,773 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.48, for a total transaction of $222,476.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,343 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,548,799.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,067 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.95, for a total transaction of $135,455.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,583 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,511.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lehman John I. Von sold 1,773 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.48, for a total value of $222,476.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,343 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,548,799.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,667 shares of company stock worth $1,228,450 over the last 90 days. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 132.5% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 7,616.7% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 914 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Company Profile

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.