Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Stock Price

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $140.00 to $148.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price points to a potential upside of 3.79% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of American Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $155.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $147.00.

American Financial Group Trading Up 0.4%

American Financial Group stock opened at $142.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.48. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.62. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $122.11 and a 52 week high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 19.50%. American Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 11.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Financial Group news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total value of $312,333.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,135 shares in the company, valued at $1,825,765. This represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Lawrence Thompson, Jr. sold 11,370 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.05, for a total value of $1,535,518.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 584,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,882,434.90. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 11.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 75,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,905,000 after buying an additional 7,554 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,330,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 145.8% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,278 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in American Financial Group by 144.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 793 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 62.4% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is owned by 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.