American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Stock to Pay Special Dividend of $3.50

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) declared a special dividend on Tuesday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $3.50 per share by the insurance provider on Wednesday, November 25th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th.

American Financial Group has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 19 consecutive years. American Financial Group has a dividend payout ratio of 32.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect American Financial Group to earn $11.98 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 32.4%.

American Financial Group Price Performance

American Financial Group stock opened at $153.06 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.55. American Financial Group has a 52-week low of $123.09 and a 52-week high of $156.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $144.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.64.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.40 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 20.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Financial Group will post 12.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Mark Weiss sold 2,813 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.76, for a total transaction of $407,209.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,648 shares in the company, valued at $962,364.48. This trade represents a 29.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Brian Hertzman sold 950 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.87, for a total transaction of $135,726.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,589,143.01. This represents a 7.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 16.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP bought a new stake in American Financial Group during the third quarter worth $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in American Financial Group by 135.7% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 264 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.37% of the company’s stock.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc (NYSE:AFG) is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its Great American Insurance Group operations, the company primarily provides property and casualty insurance, with an emphasis on specialty commercial products and markets.

Its insurance offerings serve businesses, organizations and individuals across a range of industries. Product lines have included commercial property and liability coverage, workers’ compensation, transportation, agriculture and crop insurance, marine and other specialty risks.