American Financial Group hikes dividend by 11.1%

American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) will raise its quarterly dividend by 11.1 percent to 50 cents per share in 2020. This increase was previously announced by AFG. Last year the insurance holding company paid a special cash dividend of $1.80 per share in the fourth quarter of 2019, following a $1.50 per share special dividend paid earlier in 2019. The regular dividend was also hiked by 12.5 percent to 45 cents per share quarterly in 2019.

The next dividend is payable on October 26, 2020 to holders of record on October 15, 2020. A regular annualized dividend rate of $2.00 per share yields 2.9% at a stock price of $69.73.

If we include this 2020 dividend hike that was just announced by American Financial Group, the company has a dividend history of 15 consecutive years of dividend increases, with a double digit dividend increase announced by AFG in each of the last nine years. The company currently pays an estimated annual dividend of $180 million to its shareholders. This amount does not include special dividend payments.

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, and in the sale of fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions and education markets. 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.