BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Stock

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) had its target price lifted by BMO Capital Markets from $135.00 to $143.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the insurance provider's stock.

Separately, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

American Financial Group Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AFG traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $137.82. 428,174 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 303,636. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.79. The business's fifty day moving average price is $134.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.53. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $108.39 and a twelve month high of $144.81.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.20). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. American Financial Group's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that American Financial Group will post 10.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a None dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $4.00 dividend. This is a positive change from American Financial Group's previous None dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. American Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.99%.

Institutional Trading of American Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of American Financial Group by 3.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,516,351 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $742,501,000 after buying an additional 202,522 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in American Financial Group by 251.1% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 147,892 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $19,442,000 after acquiring an additional 105,764 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,693,356 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $362,526,000 after purchasing an additional 104,172 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 123.4% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,050 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $15,486,000 after purchasing an additional 63,541 shares during the period. Finally, EULAV Asset Management lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 9.4% in the third quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 498,721 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $67,128,000 after acquiring an additional 42,902 shares during the period. 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.