American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock Has Average Price Target of $159.00 According to Analysts

Shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $159.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AFG shares. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Oppenheimer set a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on American Financial Group from $147.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Brian Hertzman sold 950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total value of $135,726.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,589,143.01. This represents a 7.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AFG. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,079,329,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 19.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,506,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $192,395,000 after acquiring an additional 240,509 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in American Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $102,590,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in American Financial Group by 337.1% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 431,144 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,061,000 after purchasing an additional 332,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor LLC lifted its position in American Financial Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor LLC now owns 399,671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,659,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Stock Up 1.9%

AFG stock opened at $160.85 on Wednesday. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $123.09 and a 52 week high of $161.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.12 and a beta of 0.55.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $3.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.80 by $0.17. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 22.56% and a net margin of 11.96%. The business had revenue of $2.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 12.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $3.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.65%.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc. is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through Great American Insurance Group, it provides property and casualty insurance, with a focus on specialty commercial markets and coverage tailored to specific industries and customer needs. Its products include insurance for businesses, farms and agricultural operations, and individuals, offered through a network of independent agents and brokers. AFG’s insurance operations serve customers primarily in the United States, with some products and services available internationally.