American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Cut to “Market Perform” at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $144.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $164.00.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE AFG opened at $126.42 on Friday. American Financial Group has a 12-month low of $117.56 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a market cap of $10.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.92.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 20.30%. Equities research analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.27%.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,798 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Horan Securities Inc. increased its holdings in American Financial Group by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 2,595 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in American Financial Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in American Financial Group by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 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.