Travelers Reports a Q2 Profit of $1.5 Billion

Core Insights - The Travelers Companies reported a core income of $1.5 billion ($6.51 per share) for Q2 2025, with a core return on equity of 18.8% [1] - The company achieved $11.5 billion in net written premiums and returned $809 million in capital to shareholders [1] - A divestiture of its Canadian business for $2.4 billion was announced, reflecting a strategic move to optimize capital allocation [1][4] Underwriting Profitability - Underlying underwriting income increased by 35% to $1.6 billion pretax, driven by a 7% growth in net earned premiums to $10.9 billion [2][3] - All business segments reported underlying combined ratios below or near 90%, with personal insurance at an impressive 79.3% [2] - The overall underlying combined ratio improved by 3 points to 84.7%, indicating enhanced risk selection and disciplined pricing [3] Capital Management - Adjusted book value per share rose to $144.57, a 14% increase year-over-year, with operating cash flows of $2.3 billion [4] - The board authorized $4.3 billion for share repurchases, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders [4] - The divestiture of Canadian operations was executed at 1.8 times book value, showcasing aggressive internal capital reallocation [4][5] Investment Income - The investment portfolio's assets exceeded $100 billion, generating $774 million in after-tax net investment income, a 6% increase from the previous year [6] - New money rates were over 100 basis points above the embedded portfolio yield, enhancing earnings visibility for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026 [6][7] Future Outlook - Management projects a full-year expense ratio of 28% to 28.5% for 2025 and anticipates $700 million in additional share repurchases in 2026 from the Canadian divestiture [8] - Expected fixed income net investment income after tax is approximately $770 million for Q3 and $805 million for Q4 [8] - The company plans to relax personal insurance rate and capacity restrictions by the end of 2025, supporting continued premium growth and strong underwriting margins [9]