Skyward Specialty Insurance (SKWD) ZACKS·2025-02-26 01:01Core Insights - Skyward Specialty Insurance (SKWD) reported a revenue of $304.4 million for Q4 2024, marking a year-over-year increase of 23.6% and exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $299.9 million by 1.50% [1] - The company's EPS for the same quarter was $0.80, up from $0.61 a year ago, and also surpassed the consensus EPS estimate of $0.77 by 3.90% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Expense ratio stood at 28.9%, slightly better than the average estimate of 29.1% from six analysts [4] - Loss ratio was reported at 66.9%, compared to the average estimate of 65.3% from six analysts [4] - Combined ratio was 95.8%, higher than the six-analyst average estimate of 94.3% [4] - Net investment income was $20.73 million, below the average estimate of $21.05 million, but represented a year-over-year increase of 48% [4] - Net earned premiums reached $293.24 million, exceeding the average estimate of $282.61 million and reflecting a year-over-year increase of 30.4% [4] - Commission and fee income was $0.81 million, below the average estimate of $0.95 million, but showed a significant year-over-year increase of 226.3% [4] - Net investment losses were reported at -$10.41 million, worse than the estimated -$8.93 million [4] Stock Performance - Skyward's shares have returned +18.6% over the past month, contrasting with a -1.8% change in the Zacks S&P 500 composite [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating potential for outperformance in the near term [3]