Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of AFG Q3 Earnings

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of American Financial Group in a research note issued on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $3.11 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.75. The consensus estimate for American Financial Group’s current full-year earnings is $11.73 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Financial Group’s FY2026 earnings at $11.72 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.71 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.80 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.75 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.95 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.86 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $11.83 EPS.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.51%.The company’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.14 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on AFG. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of American Financial Group from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Financial Group from $158.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on American Financial Group from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $156.00.

American Financial Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of AFG opened at $143.41 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s fifty day moving average is $140.87 and its 200 day moving average is $134.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. American Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $123.09 and a fifty-two week high of $150.02.

American Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. American Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Financial Group

In other American Financial Group news, SVP Michelle A. Gillis sold 2,247 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.00, for a total transaction of $312,333.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,825,765. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Mark A. Weiss sold 2,813 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total value of $407,209.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at $962,364.48. This represents a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,430 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,061. Company insiders own 16.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 904.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Financial Group by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

More American Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several EPS forecasts. Its FY2026 estimate increased from $11.00 to $11.72, FY2027 rose from $11.77 to $11.95, and FY2028 increased from $11.67 to $11.83. Zacks also lifted estimates for Q3 2026, Q1 and Q2 2027, and Q1 and Q2 2028, indicating better expected earnings momentum for the specialty insurer. American Financial Group stock information
• Positive Sentiment: Near-term earnings expectations improved materially for Q3 2026. Zacks raised its forecast to $3.11 per share from $2.75. That outlook supports the company’s recent operating strength, following its latest reported quarter in which AFG exceeded consensus earnings and revenue estimates.
• Neutral Sentiment: The current full-year consensus remains $11.73 per share. Although Zacks’ estimates for future years are higher, the revisions do not yet translate into a meaningful increase in the consensus forecast for the current fiscal year. This may limit immediate buying interest.
• Neutral Sentiment: AFG’s income profile remains attractive to yield-focused investors. A recent analysis highlighted the company’s investment-grade “baby bonds” and their roughly 7.7% yield, though that product-focused discussion is more relevant to fixed-income investors than to the common stock.
• Negative Sentiment: A few estimates were trimmed. Zacks reduced its Q4 2026 EPS forecast from $3.37 to $3.32 and its Q3 2027 forecast from $2.81 to $2.80. These cuts are small, but they partially offset the broader upward revisions and may contribute to cautious trading.

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.