American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Lowered to Market Perform Rating by 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 report released on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $144.00 price objective on the insurance provider’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $164.00.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on AFG. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

American Financial Group Price Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $126.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.83. American Financial Group has a 1 year low of $117.56 and a 1 year high of $150.19. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $136.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.77.

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

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in American Financial Group by 86.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 91.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 301.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC acquired a new position in American Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $111,000. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.