American Financial Group (AFG) reported a decline in second-quarter 2025 net earnings to $174 million ($2.07 per share) from $209 million ($2.49 per share) in Q2 2024, primarily due to lower underwriting profit and reduced returns on alternative investments. Despite this, the company achieved an annualized core operating return on equity of 15.5% and saw strong underwriting margins in its specialty P&C insurance businesses, with net investment income (excluding alternatives) increasing by 10% year-over-year.
Net earnings decreased to $174 million ($2.07 per share) in Q2 2025 from $209 million ($2.49 per share) in Q2 2024.
Core net operating earnings were $179 million ($2.14 per share) in Q2 2025, down from $215 million ($2.56 per share) in Q2 2024.
The Specialty P&C insurance operations generated a combined ratio of 93.1% in Q2 2025, with gross and net written premiums increasing by 10% and 7% respectively.
Book value per share was $54.15 at June 30, 2025, and the company returned approximately $107 million to shareholders in the quarter.
AFG maintains significant excess capital and plans to continue returning capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. The company also intends to deploy capital into its core businesses for organic growth and strategic acquisitions that meet target return thresholds. They expect full-year premium growth in 2025 for their Specialty P&C businesses.