American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Declares $1.50 Special Dividend

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) declared a special dividend on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 16th will be given a dividend of 1.50 per share by the insurance provider on Wednesday, February 25th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th.

American Financial Group has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 19 years. American Financial Group has a payout ratio of 29.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect American Financial Group to earn $11.68 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 30.1%.

American Financial Group Stock Performance

AFG stock traded down $1.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $128.45. The company had a trading volume of 232,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 525,796. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $133.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 0.71. American Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $114.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 9.66%.The firm’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. American Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American Financial Group will post 10.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, CFO Brian S. Hertzman sold 1,777 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total value of $253,240.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,610,363. This trade represents a 13.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AFG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $106,707,000. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in shares of American Financial Group by 20,131.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 637,090 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $87,077,000 after purchasing an additional 633,941 shares during the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 64,631.3% during the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 388,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $49,018,000 after purchasing an additional 387,788 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in American Financial Group by 12.9% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,963,942 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $431,906,000 after purchasing an additional 337,573 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,026,783 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $149,623,000 after buying an additional 255,693 shares during the period. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About American Financial Group

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: AFG) is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. Through its flagship subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company, the firm underwrites a broad range of specialty insurance products for commercial and industrial clients, including inland marine, excess and surplus lines, executive liability, and environmental liability coverage. In addition, American Financial Group offers supplemental accident and health insurance and assumes reinsurance risks from other insurers, helping to diversify its underwriting portfolio.

The company traces its roots to 1946, when it was founded by Carl Lindner, Sr.