AFG

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for American Financial Group (AFG). Shares have lost about 1% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. But investors have to be wondering, will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is American Financial due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. AFG Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Decline 1.7% Y/YAmerican Financial Group reported first-quarter 2026 net operating earnings per share of $2.47, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.55. However, the bottom line increased 36.5% year over year, driven by underwriting income.Total revenues of $1.8 billion decreased 1.7% year over year. The decline was due to lower investment income and realized gains (losses) on securities. The top line also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.3%.AFG’s first-quarter results were weighed down by weaker performance in its alternative investment portfolio, which offset strong underwriting results in its Specialty Property & Casualty (“P&C”) insurance segment. Net earned premiums rose 1.8% year over year to $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The figure was below both the Zacks Consensus Estimate and our estimate of $1.8 billion.Net investment income rose 8.1% year over year to $187 million in the quarter under review. The figure was lower than our estimate of $199.8 million and also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $210.2 million.Total costs and expenses decreased 2.7% year over year to $1.6 billion due to lower losses & loss adjustment expenses, interest charges on borrowed money and expenses of managed investment entities. The figure was lower than our estimate of $1.8 billion. The Specialty P&C Insurance segment generated $1.7 billion in net written premiums, which improved 3% year over year, driven by new business, favorable renewal rates and higher exposures, supported by diversified operations and disciplined underwriting.Net written premiums in the Property & Transportation Group increased 6% year over year to $596 million in the quarter.Net written premiums at the Specialty Casualty Group increased 2% year over year to $789 million. Further, net written premiums at Specialty...

Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) and the best and worst performers in the property & casualty insurance industry. Property & Casualty (P&C) insurers protect individuals and businesses against financial loss from damage to property or from legal liability. This is a cyclical industry, and the sector benefits when there is 'hard market', characterized by strong premium rate increases that outpace loss and cost inflation, resulting in robust underwriting margins. The opposite is true in a 'soft market'. Interest rates also matter, as they determine the yields earned on fixed-income portfolios. On the other hand, P&C insurers face a major secular headwind from the increasing frequency and severity of catastrophe losses due to climate change. Furthermore, the liability side of the business is pressured by 'social inflation'—the trend of rising litigation costs and larger jury awards. The 32 property & casualty insurance stocks we track reported a mixed Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.1%. In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results. With roots dating back to 1872 and a business model that empowers local decision-making, American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) is an insurance holding company that specializes in commercial property and casualty insurance products for businesses through its Great American Insurance Group. American Financial Group reported revenues of $1.76 billion, up 1.7% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 5%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and net premiums earned estimates. Interestingly, the stock is up 7.4% since reporting and currently trades at $139.00. Read our full report on American Financial Group here, it’s free. Founded in 1961 and maintaining a network of over 6,300 independent agents across the country, Mercury General (NYSE:MCY) is an insurance company that primarily sells automobile insurance policies through independent agents in 11 states, with a strong focus on California. Mercury General reported revenues of $1.54 billion, up 10.5% year on year,...

Insurance holding company American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) met Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q1 CY2026, with sales up 7% year on year to $1.85 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $2.47 per share was 3.4% below analysts’ consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy AFG? Find out in our full research report (it’s free). Revenue: $1.85 billion vs analyst estimates of $1.86 billion (7% year-on-year growth, in line) Adjusted EPS: $2.47 vs analyst expectations of $2.56 (3.4% miss) Market Capitalization: $10.75 billion American Financial Group’s first quarter results reflected steady growth in its specialty insurance businesses, with management attributing performance to robust underwriting margins and continued success in both new business opportunities and renewal pricing. Co-CEO Carl Lindner highlighted a 66% increase in underwriting profit, driven by improvements across all specialty property and casualty groups. CFO Brian Hertzman noted that net investment income, excluding alternative investments, rose due to higher invested asset balances, though alternative investment returns were impacted by a mark-to-market loss on managed CLOs. Management described the quarter’s overall pricing environment as favorable, especially outside workers’ compensation, and pointed to disciplined underwriting as a key factor supporting results. Looking ahead, American Financial Group’s leadership expects ongoing capital generation to support a range of deployment options, including acquisitions, dividends, and share repurchases. Craig Lindner indicated that the upcoming sale of the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina will provide significant capital for reinvestment, with management evaluating the best use of proceeds to avoid earnings dilution. Management sees stable renewal rate increases, disciplined pricing strategies, and ongoing investments in technology as central to maintaining profitability. However, they remain cautious regarding competitive pressures and the impact of industry trends such as social inflation and potential external shocks, like commodity price volatility, on core insurance lines. Management attributed first quarter results to strong underwriting discipline, favorable renewal rates, and careful capital management, while noting that investment income was tempered by alternative asset volatility. Specialty insurance margin expansion: Underwriting pro...

American Financial Group, Inc. AFG reported first-quarter 2026 net operating earnings per share of $2.47, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.55. However, the bottom line increased 36.5% year over year, driven by underwriting income. Total revenues of $1.8 billion decreased 1.7% year over year. The decline was due to lower investment income and realized gains (losses) on securities. The top line also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.3%. AFG’s first-quarter results were weighed down by weaker performance in its alternative investment portfolio, which offset strong underwriting results in its Specialty Property & Casualty (“P&C”) insurance segment. American Financial Group, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | American Financial Group, Inc. Quote Net earned premiums rose 1.8% year over year to $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The figure was below both the Zacks Consensus Estimate and our estimate of $1.8 billion. Net investment income rose 8.1% year over year to $187 million in the quarter under review. The figure was lower than our estimate of $199.8 million and also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $210.2 million. Total costs and expenses decreased 2.7% year over year to $1.6 billion due to lower losses & loss adjustment expenses, interest charges on borrowed money and expenses of managed investment entities. The figure was lower than our estimate of $1.8 billion. The Specialty P&C Insurance segment generated $1.7 billion in net written premiums, which improved 3% year over year, driven by new business, favorable renewal rates and higher exposures, supported by diversified operations and disciplined underwriting. Net written premiums in the Property & Transportation Group increased 6% year over year to $596 million in the quarter. Net written premiums at the Specialty Casualty Group increased 2% year over year to $789 million. Further, net written premiums at Specialty Financial Group rose 1% year over year to $279 million. The Specialty P&C Insurance segment’s underwriting profit increased 66% year over year to $156 million in the quarter, driven by higher underwriting profit across all three groups. The figure exceeded our estimate of $145 million. Pre-tax core operating earnings before income taxes of the P&C Insurance segment were $309 million, up 25.6% year over year. In the Specialty Financial Group, a higher ye...

American Financial Group recently reported past first-quarter 2026 results showing stronger underwriting performance and a 36% increase in core net operating earnings year over year, alongside continued premium growth and 39 consecutive quarters of renewal rate increases. The company also disclosed a planned sale of Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, expected to generate an estimated US$125.00 million pretax core operating gain that management intends to reinvest into higher-yielding bonds or core insurance operations. We’ll now examine how this improved underwriting profitability and planned asset sale may influence American Financial Group’s existing investment narrative. We've uncovered the 12 dividend fortresses yielding 5%+ that don't just survive market storms, but thrive in them. To own American Financial Group, you need to be comfortable with a specialty insurer whose story rests on disciplined underwriting and efficient capital use. The latest quarter reinforced that underwriting profitability is a key near term catalyst, while catastrophe exposure and litigation driven loss trends remain the most important risks; the Q1 beat on underwriting and 36% jump in core operating earnings are supportive, but the earnings-per-share miss versus expectations suggests the big picture risk/reward has not materially changed. The planned sale of Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, with an expected US$125.00 million pretax core operating gain earmarked for higher yielding bonds or core insurance businesses, is the most relevant development here. It directly links the news to the existing catalyst of capital allocation discipline, yet it also highlights how much investors still need to think about underwriting volatility, reserve releases, and catastrophe losses when assessing future earnings power. However, against this backdrop of stronger underwriting and capital recycling, investors should still be aware of the risk that catastrophe losses and weaker reserve releases could... Read the full narrative on American Financial Group (it's free!) American Financial Group’s narrative projects $7.9 billion revenue and $1.1 billion earnings by 2029. This assumes revenues remain fairly flat each year and an earnings increase of about $258 million from $842.0 million today. Uncover how American Financial Group's forecasts yield a $140.83 fair value, a 6% upside to its curren...

AFG reported core net operating earnings of $2.47 per share, up 36% year‑over‑year, driven by stronger underwriting — specialty P&C underwriting profit rose 66% and the specialty P&C combined ratio improved to 90.3 (down 3.7 points). Premiums and pricing remained positive with gross/net written premiums up 6%/3%, renewal rates up about 5% excluding workers’ comp (~3% overall) — marking 39 consecutive quarters of renewal rate increases; commercial auto rates were roughly 14% higher in Q1. AFG returned nearly $260 million to shareholders (including $60 million buybacks and a $1.50 special dividend); its $17.1 billion investment portfolio is earning fixed‑maturity yields near 5.25%, though alternatives were slightly negative this quarter (including a $13 million mark‑to‑market loss on $133 million of CLOs) and direct private credit exposure is modest at about $250 million (~1.5%). Interested in American Financial Group, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Don't Overlook Hidden Gem Kinsale As Rallies To New Highs American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) executives highlighted stronger underwriting results and higher core operating earnings during the company’s first-quarter 2026 earnings call, pointing to improved combined ratios across its specialty P&C groups and continued capital returns to shareholders. Co-CEO Craig Lindner said AFG posted core net operating earnings of $2.47 per share for the first quarter, up 36% from the year-ago period. Co-CEO Carl Lindner III said the company delivered an annualized core operating return on equity of 17%, which he attributed to “strong underwriting margins.” → Corning Beats Q1 Estimates but Drops 9% on Guidance Miss In its specialty property and casualty operations, Carl Lindner III said underwriting profit increased 66% year-over-year. The Specialty P&C businesses reported a 90.3 combined ratio for the quarter, improving 3.7 points from 94.0 in the first quarter of 2025. Results included 2.2 points of catastrophe losses, compared with 4.5 points in the prior-year quarter, and 4.4 points of favorable prior-year reserve development versus 1.3 points a year earlier. → Is Oracle Undervalued as Cloud Growth Accelerates? Carl Lindner III said AFG continued to see premium growth while maintaining underwriting discipline. Gross and net written premiums increased 6% and 3%, respectively, from the first quarter of 2025. Renewa...

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited AXS reported first-quarter 2026 operating income of $3.42 per share, which outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.23 and rose 7.9% year over year. The quarterly results benefited from higher net premiums earned and stronger underwriting income, partly offset by lower net investment income and higher expenses. Axis Capital Holdings Limited price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Axis Capital Holdings Limited Quote Total operating revenues of $1.7 billion marginally beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.4%. The top line rose nearly 7.7% year over year on higher premiums earned. Net premiums written increased 9% to $1.9 billion, driven by a 24% rise in the Insurance segment, partially offset by a 13% decline in the Reinsurance segment. Net investment income decreased 11.1% year over year to $184.7 million, due to lower income from cash. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $225.1 million. Total expenses in the quarter increased 3.8% year over year to $1.3 billion due to higher net losses and loss expenses, acquisition costs and reorganization expenses. Our estimate was pegged at $1.4 billion. Pre-tax catastrophe and weather-related losses, net of reinsurance, totaled $48 million, including $33 million from natural catastrophes. The remaining $15 million was attributable to the Middle East conflict. AXIS Capital’s underwriting income of $187 million increased 15% year over year. The combined ratio improved to 89.8 in the quarter from 90.2 a year ago, reflecting stronger underwriting performance. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 93.1. Our estimate was 92.6. Insurance: Gross premiums written improved 19.8% year over year to $2 billion. Our estimate was $1.8 billion. Net premiums earned increased 23.8% year over year to $1.3 billion, driven by higher gross premiums written and a lower cession rate in liability lines, partly offset by a higher cession rate in property lines. Our estimate was $1.1 billion. Underwriting income of $157.4 million increased 17% year over year. The combined ratio improved 40 basis points to 86.3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the combined ratio was pegged at 88.4. Reinsurance: Gross premiums written decreased 2.2% year over year to $1.1 billion, mainly due to non-renewals and reduced line sizes in liability and motor lines, in line with our estimate of $1.1 billion. Net premiums earned i...

Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. ET Co-Chief Executive Officer — Carl H. Lindner III Co-Chief Executive Officer — S. Craig Lindner Chief Financial Officer — Brian S. Hertzman Vice President, Investor Relations — Diane P. Weidner Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to the American Financial Group 2026 First Quarter Results Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would like now to turn the conference over to Diane Weidner, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead. Diane P. Weidner: Good morning, and welcome to American Financial Group's first quarter 2026 earnings results conference call. We released our results yesterday afternoon. Our press release, investor supplement and webcast presentation are posted on AFG's website under the Investor Relations section. These materials will be referenced during portions of today's call. Joining me this morning are Carl Lindner III and Craig Lindner, Co-CEOs of American Financial Group; and Brian Hertzman, AFG's CFO. Before I turn the discussion over to Carl, I would like to draw your attention to the notes on Slide 2 of our webcast. Some of the matters to be discussed today are forward looking. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results and/or financial condition to differ materially from these statements. A detailed description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in AFG's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are also available on our website. We may include references to core net operating earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure in our remarks or in responses to questions today. A reconciliation of net earnings to core net operating earnings is included in our earnings release. And finally, if you're reading a transcript of this call, please note that it may not be authorized or reviewed for accuracy. And as a result, it may contain factual or transcription errors that could materially alter the intent or meaning of our statements. Now I'm pleased to turn the call over to Carl to discuss our results. Carl Lindner: Well, good morning, and I'll begin by sharing a few highlights of AFG's 2026 first quarter results, after which...

American Financial Group (AFG) reported Q1 core operating earnings late Tuesday of $2.50 per share,

American Financial Group (AFG) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.47 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.55 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.81 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -2.95%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this property and casualty insurer would post earnings of $3.18 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.65, delivering a surprise of +14.78%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. American Financial, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, posted revenues of $1.83 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.29%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.86 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. American Financial shares have lost about 3.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 4.3%. While American Financial has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for American Financial was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future....

American Financial Group (AFG) reported $1.83 billion in revenue for the quarter ended March 2026, representing a year-over-year decline of 1.7%. EPS of $2.47 for the same period compares to $1.81 a year ago. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.99 billion, representing a surprise of -8.29%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -2.95%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $2.55. While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance. As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately. Here is how American Financial performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Property and Casualty combined ratio - Specialty - Loss and LAE Ratio: 56.3% compared to the 60.5% average estimate based on four analysts. Property and Casualty combined ratio - Specialty - Underwriting Expense Ratio: 34% versus 32.1% estimated by four analysts on average. Property and Casualty combined ratio - Specialty - Combined Ratio - Specialty: 90.3% versus the four-analyst average estimate of 92.8%. Specialty Casualty - Loss and LAE Ratio: 64.7% versus 66.5% estimated by three analysts on average. Specialty Casualty - Underwriting Expense Ratio: 31.1% compared to the 29% average estimate based on three analysts. Revenues- Net investment income: $187 million compared to the $210.21 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +8.1% year over year. Revenues- Net earned premiums: $1.61 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $1.77 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +1.8%. Specialty Casualty- Net earned premium: $799 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $843.8 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +0.6%. Property and Transportation- Net earned premium: $526 million versus $639.68 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +5.2%...

CINCINNATI (AP) — CINCINNATI (AP) — American Financial Group Inc. (AFG) on Wednesday reported first-quarter profit of $191 million. The Cincinnati-based company said it had profit of $2.29 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $2.47 per share. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.55 per share. The property and casualty insurer posted revenue of $1.85 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $1.83 billion, which also missed Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.99 billion. American Financial shares have dropped slightly more than 5% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $129.42, a climb of 1% in the last 12 months. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AFG at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AFG