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CNA Financial Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates on Poor Underwriting Income
ZACKS· 2025-05-06 15:05
Core Insights - CNA Financial Corporation reported first-quarter 2025 core earnings of $1.03 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11.2%, and reflecting a year-over-year decrease of 20.7% [1] - Total operating revenues increased by 5.9% year over year to $3.2 billion, driven by higher premiums, and exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.5% [1] Financial Performance - Net written premiums for Property & Casualty Operations rose by 9% year over year to $2.6 billion, surpassing the estimate of $2.3 billion [2] - Net investment income decreased by 0.8% year over year to $604 million, falling short of the estimate of $698.2 million [2] - Total claims, benefits, and expenses increased by 8.6% to $3.3 billion, primarily due to higher insurance claims and policyholders' benefits, exceeding the estimate of $3 billion [3] - Underwriting income fell by 68.2% year over year to $40 million, with catastrophe losses amounting to $97 million, including $53 million for California wildfires, compared to a loss of $88 million in the prior year [3] Combined Ratio and Segment Results - The combined ratio deteriorated by 380 basis points year over year to 98.4, including 3.8 points of catastrophe loss from California wildfires [4] - Specialty's net written premiums increased by 6% year over year to $842 million, exceeding the estimate of $748 million, with a combined ratio of 95.1 [5] - Commercial's net written premiums climbed by 12% year over year to $1.5 billion, surpassing the estimate of $1.3 billion, with a combined ratio of 101.1 [5] - International's net written premiums rose by 2% year over year to $266 million, slightly above the estimate of $262 million, with a combined ratio of 95.4 [5] - Life & Group's net earned premiums decreased by 3.6% year over year to $106 million, with core income of $6 million, reflecting a 20% increase year over year [6] Corporate and Financial Update - Corporate & Other's core loss widened to $36 million from a loss of $22 million in the prior year, primarily due to a $17 million after-tax charge related to legacy mass tort claims [7] - Total assets increased by 1.2% from the end of 2024 to $67.6 billion, while stockholders' equity decreased by 2.2% to $10.2 billion [8] - The core return on equity contracted by 230 basis points to 9.2%, with book value, excluding AOCI, rising by 2% to $44.58 per share [8] - Statutory surplus decreased by 1.9% to $10.9 billion, and debt-to-capital ratio deteriorated by 40 basis points to 22.4 [8] - Net cash flows from operating activities increased by 26.5% from the end of 2024 to $638 million [9] Dividend Update - CNA Financial's board approved a quarterly dividend of 46 cents per share, payable on June 5 to shareholders as of May 19 [10]
Kinsale Capital Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Solid Underwriting
ZACKS· 2025-04-25 16:00
Core Insights - Kinsale Capital (KNSL) reported first-quarter 2025 net operating earnings of $3.71 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 17.8% and reflecting a 6% year-over-year increase [1] - The company's operational strategy focused on disciplined underwriting and technology-enabled cost management [1] Operational Update - Operating revenues increased by 13.4% year over year to $423 million, driven by higher premiums, fee income, and net investment income, although it slightly missed the consensus estimate by 0.2% [1] - Gross written premiums rose 7.9% year over year to $484.3 million, influenced by strong broker submissions and a competitive pricing environment [2] - Net written premiums climbed 8.7% year over year to $381.7 million, falling short of the estimate of $412.8 million [2] - Net investment income surged 33.1% year over year to $43.1 million, surpassing the estimate of $42.5 million, primarily due to growth in the investment portfolio and higher interest rates [3] Expense and Profitability Metrics - Total expenses increased by 21% year over year to $311 million, attributed to higher losses, underwriting, and acquisition expenses [4] - Underwriting income was reported at $67.5 million, a 3.7% year-over-year growth, despite higher catastrophe losses [4] - The combined ratio deteriorated by 260 basis points to 82.1, better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 87 [5] - The expense ratio worsened by 70 basis points to 20, while the loss ratio increased by 330 basis points to 62.1 [5] Financial Update - Kinsale Capital ended the first quarter of 2025 with cash and invested assets of $4.3 million, a 4.9% increase from the end of 2024 [6] - Stockholders' equity rose by 6.7% to $1.6 billion, and book value per share increased by 6.5% to $67.92 [6] - Net operating cash flows were $229.8 million, reflecting a 9.2% year-over-year increase [6] Share Repurchase - The company repurchased $10 million worth of shares in the first quarter of 2025 [9]
RLI Q1 Earnings Outshine Estimates, Premiums Increase Y/Y
ZACKS· 2025-04-24 18:55
Core Insights - RLI Corp. reported first-quarter 2025 operating earnings of 92 cents per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.5%, but down 9.2% from the prior-year quarter [1] - The quarterly results were influenced by higher premiums and improved investment income, which were offset by increased expenses and poor underwriting income [1] Operational Performance - Operating revenues for the quarter reached $436 million, reflecting a 10.7% year-over-year increase, driven by higher net premiums earned and net investment income, although it missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.9% [2] - Gross premiums written rose 5% year over year to $491 million, primarily due to strong performance in the Casualty segment, which increased by 13.5% [2] - Net investment income increased by 12% year over year to $36.7 million, falling short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $38.6 million [3] - Total expenses increased by 14.7% year over year to $332 million, mainly due to higher loss and settlement expenses and policy acquisition costs [3] Underwriting Performance - Underwriting income decreased by 9.3% year over year to $70.5 million, with the combined ratio deteriorating by 380 basis points to 82.3 [4] Dividend Update - On March 20, 2025, RLI paid a regular quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share, with cumulative dividends exceeding $967 million over the last five years [5] Peer Performance - The Travelers Companies reported first-quarter 2025 core income of $1.91 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but down 29.3% year over year [7] - Progressive Corporation's first-quarter 2025 earnings per share of $4.65 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, although it increased by 24.6% year over year [9] - W.R. Berkley Corporation's first-quarter 2025 operating income of $1.01 per share matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but declined 2.9% year over year [11]