American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) Price Target Raised to $127.00

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $125.00 to $127.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the insurance provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target points to a potential upside of 0.47% from the stock's current price.

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut American Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st.

American Financial Group Stock Down 1.1%

AFG traded down $1.35 on Wednesday, hitting $126.41. 394,388 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 418,548. American Financial Group has a twelve month low of $114.73 and a twelve month high of $150.19. The company has a market cap of $10.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $124.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.40.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 395.5% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,520,714 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $331,071,000 after buying an additional 2,012,027 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $122,419,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 240.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 585,841 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $76,821,000 after buying an additional 413,516 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 89.5% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 672,851 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $92,134,000 after buying an additional 317,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,442,000. 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.