Key Takeaways Insurers like TRV, AXS, JXN, LNC, and GL have beaten the market in 2025 with more gains expected in 2026.Strong underwriting, capital position and digital upgrades helped insurers thrive despite catastrophe losses.Insurers continue to boost dividends, expand via M&A, and benefit from diversified investment portfolios.As we move closer to wrapping up 2025, we are all hoping for a prosperous 2026, which, in turn, will be reflected in our investment portfolio. Despite an active catastrophe enviro ...

Core Viewpoint - Horace Mann (HMN) has received an upgrade to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook on its earnings estimates, which is a significant factor influencing stock prices [1][3]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Impact - The Zacks rating system reflects changes in earnings estimates, which are strongly correlated with stock price movements, particularly due to institutional investors adjusting their valuations based on these estimates [4][6]. - An increase in earnings estimates typically leads to higher fair value for a stock, prompting institutional investors to buy or sell, thus affecting stock prices [4]. Company Performance and Outlook - The upgrade for Horace Mann suggests an improvement in the company's underlying business, which should encourage investors to drive the stock price higher [5]. - Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Horace Mann has increased by 6.3%, with expected earnings of $4.14 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2025, indicating no year-over-year change [8]. Zacks Rank System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with a strong track record of performance, particularly for Zacks Rank 1 stocks, which have generated an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [7]. - The upgrade to Zacks Rank 2 places Horace Mann in the top 20% of Zacks-covered stocks, suggesting it has superior earnings estimate revisions and potential for market-beating returns in the near term [10].

Company Performance - Horace Mann (HMN) reported quarterly earnings of $1.06 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.61 per share, and significantly up from $0.20 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of +73.77% [1][2] - The company posted revenues of $411.7 million for the quarter ended June 2025, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.06%, compared to $388.1 million in the same quarter last year [3] Market Comparison - Horace Mann shares have increased by approximately 7.2% since the beginning of the year, slightly outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 7.1% [4] Future Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.04 on revenues of $428.7 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $3.99 on revenues of $1.7 billion [8] - The Zacks Industry Rank for Insurance - Multi line is in the top 39% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook compared to the bottom 50% [9]

Core Viewpoint - Horace Mann (HMN) has received an upgrade to a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) due to an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is a significant factor influencing stock prices [1][2]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Movement - The Zacks rating system is based on changes in earnings estimates, which are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [3][5]. - Institutional investors utilize earnings estimates to determine the fair value of stocks, leading to buying or selling actions that affect stock prices [3]. Company Performance and Outlook - The upgrade for Horace Mann indicates an improvement in the company's underlying business, which is expected to positively influence its stock price [4]. - Analysts project that Horace Mann will earn $4.01 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2025, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 26.1% [7]. Zacks Rank System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks historically generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [6]. - Only the top 5% of Zacks-covered stocks receive a 'Strong Buy' rating, indicating superior earnings estimate revisions [8][9].

Core Viewpoint - The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) has shown strong stock performance, gaining 12.5% year to date, outperforming its industry, the Finance sector, and the S&P 500 composite index, indicating a bullish trend in the stock market [1][4]. Company Overview - TRV is a leading provider of auto and homeowners' insurance, as well as commercial U.S. property-casualty insurance, with a market capitalization of $61 billion and an average trading volume of 1.4 million shares over the last three months [2]. Stock Performance and Analyst Sentiment - The average target price for TRV shares is $281.45, suggesting a potential upside of 3.9% from the last closing price based on short-term price targets from 22 analysts [5]. - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TRV's earnings has increased by 6.1% for 2025 and 3.4% for 2026 in the past 30 days, with 2025 earnings estimated at $18.39 (a decrease of 14.8%) and 2026 earnings at $24.07 (an increase of 30.9%) [6]. Growth Factors - TRV is positioned for growth due to solid retention rates, favorable pricing, an increase in new business, and positive renewal premium trends, supported by a broad product portfolio covering nine distinct lines of business [7]. - The company plans to launch new products in 2025 to enhance its competitive advantage in the Bond & Specialty segment, alongside executing strategic growth initiatives [8]. Investment Income and Financial Health - Higher returns from the non-fixed income portfolio have driven investment income, with estimates for fixed-income net investment income (NII) projected to grow from $725 million in Q2 to approximately $790 million in Q4 of 2025 [9]. - The net margin has improved by 170 basis points over the last two years, and TRV maintains a conservative balance sheet with a debt-to-capital ratio targeted between 15% and 25% [10]. Return Metrics - Over the trailing 12 months, TRV's return on equity (ROE) reached 16.1%, significantly above the industry average of 7.8%, indicating effective use of shareholders' capital [11]. - The return on invested capital (ROIC) has steadily increased, reaching 9.1%, surpassing the industry average of 5.9%, demonstrating strong capital allocation capabilities [12]. Valuation - TRV shares are trading at a premium, with a price-to-book value of 2.18, compared to the industry average of 1.51 [13]. - Other insurers, such as Allstate Corporation, Chubb Limited, and Progressive Corporation, are also trading at multiples higher than the industry average [14]. Investment Outlook - TRV's strong presence in the auto, homeowners, and commercial insurance sectors, along with a history of inorganic expansion, positions the company well for future growth [15]. - The company has increased dividends for 21 consecutive years, with a dividend yield of 1.8%, which is attractive compared to the industry average of 0.3% [16].

Group 1: Earnings Performance - CNO Financial reported quarterly earnings of $0.79 per share, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate, and showing an increase from $0.52 per share a year ago [1] - The company had a surprise in the previous quarter, posting earnings of $1.31 per share against an expected $1.07, resulting in a surprise of 22.43% [1] - Over the last four quarters, CNO has exceeded consensus EPS estimates three times [1] Group 2: Revenue Performance - CNO posted revenues of $1.01 billion for the quarter ended March 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.15%, but down from $1.16 billion year-over-year [2] - The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters [2] Group 3: Stock Performance and Outlook - CNO shares have increased by approximately 6.4% since the beginning of the year, contrasting with the S&P 500's decline of -6.1% [3] - The future stock price movement will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call [3] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.91 on revenues of $942.33 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $3.82 on revenues of $3.88 billion [7] Group 4: Industry Context - The Zacks Industry Rank for Insurance - Multi line is currently in the top 20% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook for the sector [8] - Research shows that the top 50% of Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1 [8]