American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) to Issue Special Dividend of $1.50 on February 25th

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

American Financial Group has increased its dividend payment 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 dividend payout ratio of 29.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities 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 Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:AFG opened at $129.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $10.79 billion, a PE ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $133.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. American Financial Group has a 52 week low of $114.73 and a 52 week high of $150.02.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.47. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 18.92% and a net margin of 10.30%.The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Financial Group will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in American Financial Group by 421.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 198 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in American Financial Group by 904.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the third quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

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.