American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Rating Lowered to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on American Financial Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $138.75.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of AFG traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $126.19. The company had a trading volume of 493,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,327. The company has a market capitalization of $10.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. American Financial Group has a one year low of $114.73 and a one year high of $150.19. The company's fifty day moving average price is $125.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.48.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by ($0.36). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 9.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.76 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in American Financial Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,040 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,649,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in American Financial Group by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 17,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,410,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in American Financial Group by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 262,014 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $35,878,000 after buying an additional 18,938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,661,000. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.