American Financial Group pays special dividend

American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) will pay another special dividend of $4.00 per share. The insurance holding company last raised its quarterly dividend by 12 percent to 56 cents per share in August. 

The dividend is payable on October 5, 2021, to holders of record on September 28, 2021. The aggregate amount of the payment to be made in connection with this special dividend will be approximately $340 million. This special dividend is in addition to the Company’s regular quarterly cash dividend last paid in July 2021. AFG recently announced a 12% increase in its regular quarterly cash dividend to $0.56 per share, beginning in October 2021. The regular annual dividend rate of $2.24 per AFG share yields 1.7% at a stock price of $132.

AFG Co-CEOs Carl H. Lindner III and S. Craig Lindner stated: “Returning excess capital to shareholders in the form of this $4.00 special dividend is a key component of AFG’s capital management strategy; it reflects AFG’s strong financial position and our confidence in the Company’s financial future. Our Specialty P&C businesses continue to produce strong core operating earnings and generate excess capital. Our excess capital remains at a significant level, which affords us the financial flexibility to grow our Specialty P&C business organically and through acquisitions and start-ups that meet our target return thresholds, make opportunistic repurchases of AFG’s stock and pay additional dividends.”

American Financial Group is an insurance holding company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through the operations of Great American Insurance Group, AFG is engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialized commercial products for businesses. Great American Insurance Group’s roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. American Financial Group has paid an uninterrupted dividend to its shareholders every year since at least 1986.