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American Financial Group (AFG)
NYSE:AFG

American Financial Group (AFG) AI Stock Analysis

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AFG

American Financial Group

(NYSE:AFG)

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Outperform 74 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:74Outperform
Price Target:
$148.00
▲(10.99% Upside)
Action:UpgradedDate:02/26/26
AFG scores well primarily on solid underlying financial performance (strong ROE, moderate leverage, and robust cash generation) and a favorable valuation (moderate P/E with a high dividend yield). Earnings call tone and 2026 planning assumptions are constructive, though alternative-investment weakness and elevated casualty loss/reserve risk temper the outlook; technicals add only moderate support.
Positive Factors
Underwriting Discipline & Profitability
Sustained underwriting strength and low combined ratios reflect disciplined pricing, risk selection and portfolio diversification. This underpins durable margin sustainability and reduces earnings volatility over the medium term, supporting predictable operating performance and capital generation.
Strong Balance Sheet & Ratings
Low leverage, high credit ratings and deferred debt maturities provide capital flexibility for underwriting cycles, catastrophes, and opportunistic capital returns or M&A. This foundation enhances solvency resilience and supports consistent long-term capital allocation.
Cash Generation & Capital Returns
Consistent operating and free cash flow enabling large dividends and buybacks demonstrates durable cash conversion from underwriting and investment operations. Strong cash generation supports shareholder returns while preserving flexibility for reinvestment and reserves.
Negative Factors
Alternatives Investment Weakness
Heavy exposure to lower-performing alternatives, especially multifamily, reduces investment income and float economics. Given alternatives are a sizable portfolio component, protracted underperformance can compress net investment income and annuity spreads, affecting long-term profitability.
Elevated Casualty Loss & Reserve Risk
Adverse casualty trends and conservative reserve actions signal heightened loss emergence risk in liability-exposed lines. Persistent social inflation or reserve volatility can materially depress combined ratios and require additional capital, challenging underwriting returns over multiple quarters.
Net Written Premium Softness / Competition
Declines in net written premiums and increased ceding in select segments reduce organic growth and underwriting scale. Coupled with competitive rate softening in executive liability and E&S lines, this can limit margin expansion and slow durable top-line recovery across underwriting cycles.

American Financial Group (AFG) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

American Financial Group Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionAmerican Financial Group, Inc., an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. It offers property and transportation insurance products, such as physical damage and liability coverage for buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine, agricultural-related products, and other commercial property and specialty transportation coverages; specialty casualty insurance, including primarily excess and surplus, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty coverage in targeted markets, as well as customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses and workers' compensation insurance; and specialty financial insurance products comprising risk management insurance programs for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety products, and trade credit insurance. The company sells its property and casualty insurance products through independent insurance agents and brokers. American Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1872 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
How the Company Makes MoneyAmerican Financial Group generates revenue primarily through premiums collected from its property and casualty insurance operations, which account for a significant portion of its earnings. The company underwrites specialized insurance products and earns money by charging premiums that exceed the costs associated with claims and operating expenses. Additionally, AFG generates income from its annuity and life insurance segments, where it receives premiums and investment income from the policies it issues. Investment income from the company's substantial investment portfolio, which includes fixed income securities and equities, also constitutes a key revenue stream. AFG’s strategic partnerships with various agencies and brokers further enhance its market reach, while its disciplined underwriting practices help maintain profitability. Overall, the combination of insurance premiums, investment income, and prudent risk management contributes significantly to AFG's revenue model.

American Financial Group Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Feb 03, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 05, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call presented multiple strong financial and operational highlights — record underwriting profit, robust core earnings and ROE, disciplined capital returns (over $700M returned in 2025 plus ongoing dividends), solid balance sheet and multi-quarter renewal rate momentum. These positives are tempered by meaningful near-term challenges in alternative investment returns (particularly multifamily), some deterioration and caution in casualty loss trends (including California workers' comp), and selective premium softness or increased ceding in parts of the portfolio. Management provided constructive 2026 planning assumptions (EPS ~$11, ROE ~18%) and reiterated disciplined underwriting and capital management. On balance, the company's strong earnings, capital position, and underwriting performance outweigh the identifiable headwinds, though execution on alternatives recovery and casualty reserve trends are key risks to monitor.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Strong Full-Year Core Earnings and ROE
Core net operating earnings of $10.29 per share for full year 2025 and a core operating return on equity of 18.2% (calculated using an average of the five most recent quarter-end shareholders' equity balances, excluding AOCI).
Exceptional Fourth Quarter Core Results
Q4 core net operating earnings per share of $3.65 and an annualized Q4 core return on equity of 25.2%, marking an exceptionally strong quarter to finish the year.
Record Underwriting Profit and Low Combined Ratio in Q4
Underwriting profit in Specialty P&C grew 41% in Q4 and produced an 84.1% combined ratio (improvement of nearly 5 points YoY), driven by very strong crop results and diversified specialty portfolio performance.
Outstanding Property & Transportation Performance
Property & Transportation group achieved a 70.6% calendar year combined ratio in Q4 (improvement of ~19 points YoY). Q4 gross written premiums were up 5% while average renewal rates in the group increased ~6% (full year pricing up ~7%).
Consistent Renewal Rate Momentum
Average renewal rates across P&C (ex-workers' comp) up ~5% in Q4 and ~4% including workers' comp; the company has reported renewal rate increases for 38 consecutive quarters, aiding rate adequacy versus prospective loss trends.
Capital Return and Dividend Actions
Returned over $700M to shareholders in 2025 (including $334M or $4.00/share in special dividends, $274M in regular dividends, and $99M in share repurchases). Increased quarterly dividend by 10% to an annual rate of $3.52/share beginning Oct 2025 and declared an additional $1.50/share special dividend (~$125M) payable Feb 2026.
Strong Balance Sheet and Ratings
Year-end leverage ratio under 28%, no debt maturities until 2030, and A+ ratings from both AM Best and S&P, supporting continued capital deployment flexibility (acquisitions, special dividends, share repurchases).
Book Value Growth Plus Dividends
For the year ended Dec 31, 2025, growth in book value per share (excluding AOCI) plus dividends was 17.2%, reflecting meaningful shareholder value creation.
Investment Portfolio Positioning
Total invested assets of $17.2B with ~65% in fixed maturities, P&C fixed-maturity yields ~5.25%, and portfolio duration of 2.9 years at year-end, enabling attractive reinvestment opportunities in the current rate environment.
Forward-Looking 2026 Business Plan Assumptions
Management provided plan assumptions: net written premium growth of 3%-5% (from $7.1B), a combined ratio of ~92.5%, reinvestment rate ~5.25%, ~8% annual return on $2.8B of alternatives, and implied core net operating EPS of ~$11 with a core operating ROE of ~18% for 2026.
Negative Updates
Weak Q4 Performance from Alternative Investments
Annualized return on alternative investments in the P&C portfolio was 0.9% for Q4 2025 versus 4.9% in Q4 2024, pulling P&C net investment income ~12% lower YoY for the quarter (alternatives weighed on returns despite higher interest rates and asset balances).
Multifamily Alternative Investments Under Pressure
Multifamily investments have been impacted by excess supply in targeted markets; new starts down nearly 50% since 2022 and completions peaked in 2024. Management expects recovery only in the back half of 2026, creating near-term return pressure on a sizable portion of alternatives.
Specialty Casualty Combined Ratio Deterioration
Specialty Casualty reported a 96.7% combined ratio in Q4 2025, up 5.3 points YoY. Management cited cautious reserve picks tied to social inflation-exposed businesses and some adverse recent loss pockets.
Elevated Casualty Loss Trends and Reserve Caution
Management signaled continued caution on social-inflation-exposed units (social services, public entity, certain excess liability) and adjusted accident-year loss picks (including California workers' comp), which could temper near-term results.
California Workers' Compensation Challenges
California workers' comp remains problematic industry-wide (industry combined ratio >120); AFG's California book is < $200M NWP and management made reserve adjustments in Q4, noting the state as an exception to otherwise excellent workers' comp performance.
Net Written Premium Softness in Certain Segments
Net written premiums declined in several areas: overall Q4 NWP down 1% (GWP +2%), Specialty Financial Group Q4 net written premiums down 10% (GWP down 4%) due in part to increased ceding of coastal-exposed property business; Property & Transportation NWP down ~2% in Q4.
Competitive Pressures in Some Lines
Executive liability and excess & surplus lines experienced lower year-over-year premiums due to heightened competitive pressures; management noted pockets of softening rates and competitive conditions to monitor.
Expense Ratio Volatility and Investment in Growth
Expense ratios can be volatile due to mix effects and profit-based commissions (e.g., higher ceding commissions in crop year reduced the reported expense ratio). Management also continues to invest in data analytics, AI, customer experience and IT security, which can increase expenses near-term.
Alternatives Return Target Uncertainty
While management expects annual returns on alternatives to average 10%+ longer-term, they forecast ~8% for the $2.8B alternatives pool in 2026 — down from historical levels and reliant on multifamily market recovery, creating execution risk to meeting higher-return targets.
Limited Share Repurchases in Q4
Share repurchases were modest in 2025 ($99M) and none were executed in Q4; management emphasized opportunistic buybacks and preserved dry powder (they reduced the announced special dividend by $0.50 vs. prior year to retain flexibility), which may disappoint investors expecting consistent repurchase activity.
Company Guidance
AFG supplied 2026 business‑plan assumptions (rather than formal guidance): they expect net written premium growth of 3–5% off 2025’s $7.1 billion, a combined ratio of ~92.5%, a reinvestment rate of ~5.25%, and an ~8% annual return on a $2.8 billion alternative‑investment portfolio; under these assumptions they forecast core net operating earnings of about $11.00 per share and a core operating ROE (excluding AOCI) of ~18%, assume an average crop year, and note a $17.2 billion total investment portfolio (≈65% fixed maturities, P&C fixed‑maturity duration 2.9 years) with the ability to invest new fixed maturities at ~5.25% yield.

American Financial Group Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Financial statements reflect a fundamentally healthy insurer: solid profitability and margins, consistently strong ROE, moderate and stable leverage, and generally strong operating/free cash flow. Offsetting factors are choppy growth (including a revenue decline in 2025 vs. prior years) and year-to-year variability versus the unusually strong 2021 results.
Income Statement
72
Positive
Profitability remains solid for a P&C insurer, with net margins generally in the ~10–13% range in 2022–2025 and steady EBIT margins around the mid-teens. However, growth has turned choppy: revenue declined in 2025 (annual) after improving in 2022–2024, and earnings are well below the unusually strong 2021 level, pointing to a less favorable profitability environment versus peak years.
Balance Sheet
78
Positive
Leverage appears moderate and fairly stable, with debt-to-equity generally around ~0.35–0.43 and down slightly in 2025 versus 2024. Returns on equity are consistently strong (high-teens to low-20% in recent years), supporting balance-sheet quality. The main watch-out is equity volatility over the period (including a notable step-down after 2021), which can be meaningful for insurers depending on underwriting cycles and investment results.
Cash Flow
70
Positive
Cash generation is a clear positive: operating cash flow is consistently positive and free cash flow is strong, with free cash flow roughly matching net income in recent years (including 2024–2025). That said, cash flow has been volatile year-to-year (notably weaker in 2024 vs. 2023, then rebounding in 2025), and some coverage fields are reported as 0.0 in multiple years, limiting confidence in debt-carrying capacity signals from the provided dataset.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue8.17B8.28B7.73B6.77B6.23B
Gross Profit3.79B1.47B1.35B1.20B1.37B
EBITDA1.15B1.28B1.23B1.31B1.62B
Net Income842.00M887.00M852.00M898.00M2.00B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets32.66B25.01B24.62B24.09B24.89B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments17.18B1.41B1.23B872.00M2.13B
Total Debt1.82B1.90B1.83B1.69B2.20B
Total Liabilities27.84B20.54B20.36B20.04B19.87B
Stockholders Equity4.82B4.47B4.26B4.05B5.01B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.53B1.15B1.90B1.07B1.56B
Operating Cash Flow1.53B1.15B1.97B1.15B1.71B
Investing Cash Flow-12.00M95.00M414.00M-1.05B-436.00M
Financing Cash Flow-377.00M-1.07B-2.03B-1.36B-1.96B

American Financial Group Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price133.35
Price Trends
50DMA
130.67
Positive
100DMA
131.85
Negative
200DMA
128.17
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.29
Negative
RSI
57.99
Neutral
STOCH
78.34
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For AFG, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 133.35 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 128.81, above the 50-day MA of 130.67, and above the 200-day MA of 128.17, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.29 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 57.99 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 78.34 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for AFG.

American Financial Group Risk Analysis

American Financial Group disclosed 27 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. American Financial Group reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

American Financial Group Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
78
Outperform
$8.82B17.5929.25%0.17%18.13%15.69%
77
Outperform
$4.96B11.0313.86%1.85%10.98%74.87%
77
Outperform
$6.10B9.5620.60%1.97%5.26%72.46%
75
Outperform
$5.62B14.0024.44%4.05%3.72%-16.23%
74
Outperform
$10.91B12.9818.13%6.71%-10.75%
71
Outperform
$12.75B10.049.03%8.03%5.41%-23.52%
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
AFG
American Financial Group
133.35
16.29
13.92%
CNA
CNA Financial
47.97
3.10
6.90%
RLI
RLI
61.48
-11.27
-15.49%
SIGI
Selective Insurance Group
83.79
1.01
1.22%
THG
Hanover Insurance
179.16
16.57
10.19%
KNSL
Kinsale Capital Group
382.46
-44.82
-10.49%

American Financial Group Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
American Financial Group Adopts 2026 Executive Incentive Plan
Neutral
Feb 18, 2026

On February 13, 2026, American Financial Group, Inc.’s Compensation Committee approved a new 2026 Senior Executive Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan to replace a similar program that had been in place since February 23, 2016. The plan continues the company’s emphasis on long-term, performance-based cash incentives for senior executives, with bonus awards tied to pre-set performance criteria and designed to align leadership pay with shareholder interests, although no awards have yet been granted under the new framework.

The most recent analyst rating on (AFG) stock is a Hold with a $134.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on American Financial Group stock, see the AFG Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackDividendsFinancial Disclosures
American Financial Group Announces Special Dividend After Strong Q4
Positive
Feb 4, 2026

On February 3, 2026, American Financial Group reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, highlighting strong operating performance despite slightly lower annual earnings per share compared with 2024. Fourth-quarter 2025 net earnings rose to $299 million, or $3.58 per share, from $255 million, or $3.03 per share, a year earlier, driven by a 41% year-over-year increase in underwriting profit that set a new quarterly record; core net operating earnings for the quarter climbed to $3.65 per share. For full-year 2025, net earnings were $10.08 per share versus $10.57 in 2024, with return on equity at 17.8% and core operating ROE at 18.2%. The company returned a total of $707 million to shareholders in 2025, including $334 million in special dividends and $99 million in share repurchases, and reported robust growth in book value per share plus dividends of 22.3% for the year. Reflecting continued capital strength and a shareholder-friendly capital allocation strategy, the board declared an additional one-time special cash dividend of $1.50 per share, payable on February 25, 2026 to shareholders of record on February 16, 2026.

The most recent analyst rating on (AFG) stock is a Hold with a $139.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on American Financial Group stock, see the AFG Stock Forecast page.

Stock Buyback
American Financial Group Announces New Share Buyback Program
Neutral
Dec 5, 2025

On December 3, 2025, American Financial Group, Inc. announced a new share repurchase program allowing the buyback of up to 5,000,000 shares of its common stock. This initiative, set to replace the existing program expiring after December 31, 2025, will run until December 31, 2030, and aims to provide the company with flexibility in managing its capital structure based on market and business conditions.

The most recent analyst rating on (AFG) stock is a Buy with a $159.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on American Financial Group stock, see the AFG Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 26, 2026