American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) will pay a special cash dividend of $1.80 per share in the fourth quarter of 2019. Earlier this year the insurance holding company already paid a $1.50 per share special dividend. The regular dividend was hiked by 12.5 percent to 45 cents per share quarterly in 2019 and currently yields 1.7%.

The special dividend is payable on November 25, 2019 to holders of record on November 15, 2019. The aggregate amount of the payment to be made in connection with this special dividend will be approximately $160 million.

AFG Co-CEOs Carl H. Lindner III and S. Craig Lindner stated: “Returning excess capital to shareholders in the form of this $1.80 special dividend is an important and effective component of our capital management strategy; it reflects AFG’s strong financial position and our confidence in the Company’s financial future. Following the payment of this special dividend, our excess capital remains at a level which affords us the financial flexibility to grow our business organically and through acquisitions and start-ups that meet our target return thresholds.”

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.