American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) PT Raised to $135.00 at Piper Sandler

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) had its price target upped by Piper Sandler from $129.00 to $135.00 in a research report report published on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Separately, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $135.00.

American Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:AFG opened at $130.08 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.37. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $105.22 and a 52 week high of $137.71. The stock has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th were given a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.18%.

Insider Activity at American Financial Group

In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 5,176 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.00, for a total transaction of $626,296.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,490,012. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James E. Evans sold 2,274 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.64, for a total value of $292,527.36. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 105,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,546,049.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 14,843 shares of company stock valued at $1,854,746. Insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in American Financial Group by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 9.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,174 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,163,000 after buying an additional 1,919 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new position in American Financial Group in the first quarter worth approximately $217,000. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in American Financial Group during the first quarter worth $912,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in American Financial Group by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 57,094 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,792,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.