Lancashire Holdings Limited – 2024 Financial Results
EXCELLENT 2024 PERFORMANCE, DRIVEN BY STRONG
UNDERWRITING AND INVESTMENT RETURNS
Highlights:
- Profit after tax of
$321.3 million , resulting in a change in DBVS of 23.4%. - Gross premiums written increased 11.3% year-on-year to
$2,149.6 million . Insurance revenue increased 16.1% year-on-year to$1,765.1 million . - Insurance service result of
$379.9 million , discounted combined ratio of 80.0%, undiscounted combined ratio of 89.1%. - Total investment retuof 5.0%, including unrealised gains and losses.
- Total dividends with respect to 2024 of
$294.3 million , including final ordinary dividend of$0.15 per share, subject to shareholder approval, and additional special dividend of$0.25 per share.
For the year ended |
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$m |
$m |
|
Highlights |
||
Gross premiums written1 |
2,149.6 |
1,931.7 |
Insurance revenue |
1,765.1 |
1,519.9 |
Insurance service result |
379.9 |
382.1 |
Net investment return |
162.2 |
160.5 |
Profit after tax |
321.3 |
321.5 |
Financial ratios |
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Net insurance ratio1 |
71.3% |
65.1% |
Combined ratio (discounted)1 |
80.0% |
74.9% |
Combined ratio (undiscounted)1 |
89.1% |
82.6% |
Total investment return1 |
5.0% |
5.7% |
Per Share data |
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Diluted book value per share1 |
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Change in diluted book value per share ("ROE")1 |
23.4% |
24.7% |
Dividends per common share paid in the financial year |
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Diluted earnings per share |
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1. Please refer to the end of this release for details of how these Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are calculated.
"2024 was another superb year for Lancashire with an excellent profit after tax of
In a year of high industry losses this is an outstanding result. It shows the continued successful execution of our strategy to grow materially at the right time in the underwriting cycle, utilise our capital more efficiently, diversify our portfolio to reduce volatility, and retain and attract the best talent.
Throughout 2024, we continued to take advantage of the healthy margin environment. Gross premiums written increased by 11.3% to more than
As a result, we delivered an excellent underwriting return, with an insurance service result of
Also contributing to our strong performance was our investment portfolio, which returned a very healthy 5% for the year.
Our overall performance enabled us to deliver increased returns for our investors with total capital returned of
Additionally, the Board has declared a total year-end dividend of
Returning excess capital generated to our shareholders has always been a core part of Lancashire's DNA and, importantly, we remain extremely well capitalised to fund future growth opportunities.
In 2024, we continued to deploy our strategy that has seen us more than double the number of product classes that we write since 2018 giving us access to more of these opportunities in a compelling market where margins remain strong.
Demand also remains resilient as 2024 was another year of high industry losses and our clients and business partners continue to see value in our specialised (re)insurance solutions.
Lancashire experienced net losses (undiscounted, including reinstatement premiums) from catastrophe, weather and large loss events totalling
We have achieved the results we are reporting today due to the hard work of everybody in the Group and their belief in our strategy and vision. I would like to thank them all for their commitment to the business and for playing their part in driving forward our strong and positive culture.
Early in 2025, we have seen the terrible devastation wrought by the wildfires in
With a similar level of catastrophe and large losses as 2024, in addition to the wildfire loss, we would anticipate delivering an RoE in the mid-teens in 2025. Whilst this assumes a significantly above average loss environment, our guidance clearly demonstrates the continued delivery of our strategy of more predictable returns for investors.
As always, I would like to thank our clients, their brokers, our shareholders and other stakeholders for their support.
In 2025, Lancashire is celebrating its 20th anniversary and, while we look back with pride on our achievements and how the business has evolved, we also look forward with confidence to the opportunities to develop this fantastic company further."
Underwriting results
For the year ended |
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Reinsurance |
Insurance |
Total |
Reinsurance |
Insurance |
Total |
|
$m |
$m |
$m |
$m |
$m |
$m |
|
Gross premiums written |
1,097.8 |
1,051.8 |
2,149.6 |
967.5 |
964.2 |
1,931.7 |
RPI |
101% |
101% |
101% |
122% |
110% |
115% |
Insurance revenue |
855.1 |
910.0 |
1,765.1 |
714.9 |
805.0 |
1,519.9 |
Insurance service expenses |
(420.0) |
(766.1) |
(1,186.1) |
(254.2) |
(442.0) |
(696.2) |
Insurance service result before |
435.1 |
143.9 |
579.0 |
460.7 |
363.0 |
823.7 |
reinsurance contracts held |
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Allocation of reinsurance premium |
(168.2) |
(271.2) |
(439.4) |
(174.6) |
(250.2) |
(424.8) |
Amounts recoverable from |
(2.8) |
243.1 |
240.3 |
(78.2) |
61.4 |
(16.8) |
reinsurers |
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Net expense from reinsurance |
(171.0) |
(28.1) |
(199.1) |
(252.8) |
(188.8) |
(441.6) |
contracts held |
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Insurance service result |
264.1 |
115.8 |
379.9 |
207.9 |
174.2 |
382.1 |
Net insurance ratio |
61.6% |
81.9% |
71.3% |
61.5% |
68.6% |
65.1% |
Gross premiums written
Gross premiums written increased by
Reinsurance segment
Gross premiums written for 2024 increased by
Insurance segment
Gross premiums written for 2024 increased by
Insurance revenue
Insurance revenue increased by
Allocation of reinsurance premiums
Allocation of reinsurance premiums increased by
Net claims
During 2024, the Group experienced net losses (undiscounted, including reinstatement premiums) from catastrophe, weather and large loss events totalling
quarter, was the most significant. None of these large risk losses were individually material for the Group.
In comparison, during 2023 the Group experienced net losses (undiscounted, including reinstatement premiums) from catastrophe, weather and large loss events totalling
Favourable prior accident year loss development, including the undiscounted net movement in loss reserves, reinstatement premiums and expense provisions, was
In comparison, favourable prior accident year development during 2023 of
The prior accident year loss development for both 2024 and 2023 also benefited from the net release of expense provisions and reductions in outwards reinstatement premiums. This reduction was slightly more pronounced in 2024.
Net discounting benefit
The table below shows the total net impact of discounting in respect of both insurance contracts issued, and reinsurance contracts held, by financial statement line item.
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Insurance |
Reinsurance |
Insurance |
Reinsurance |
|||
contracts |
contracts |
Total |
contracts |
contracts |
Total |
|
issued |
held |
issued |
held |
|||
$m |
$m |
$m |
$m |
$m |
$m |
|
Initial discount included in insurance |
144.4 |
(24.1) |
120.3 |
101.9 |
(17.2) |
84.7 |
service result |
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Unwind of discount |
(95.5) |
26.9 |
(68.6) |
(84.2) |
28.4 |
(55.8) |
Impact of change in assumptions |
17.6 |
(2.9) |
14.7 |
(14.1) |
3.3 |
(10.8) |
Finance (expense) income |
(77.9) |
24.0 |
(53.9) |
(98.3) |
31.7 |
(66.6) |
Total net discounting income (expense) |
66.5 |
(0.1) |
66.4 |
3.6 |
14.5 |
18.1 |
The total impact of discounting for 2024 was a net benefit of
The majority of the Group's net insurance contract liabilities are denominated in US dollars, and this has driven a positive impact from the change in discount assumptions, primarily due to the increase in the
In 2023, discount rates across all the Group's major currencies were at a relatively high level throughout the year, with a small decrease in the fourth quarter. This drove the relatively high initial discount and low change in assumption impact.
Investments
For the year ended |
|
|
$m |
$m |
|
Total net investment return |
162.2 |
160.5 |
Net investment income, excluding realised and unrealised gains and losses, was
The investment portfolio generated a total investment retuof 5.0% during 2024. The returns were driven primarily from investment income given the higher yields throughout most of the year. In addition to positive returns from the fixed income portfolio, the risk assets, notably the bank loans and the private credit funds, contributed positively to the overall investment return.
In 2023, the investment portfolio generated a positive retuof 5.7%. The returns were driven primarily from elevated interest rates and the tighter credit spreads, in addition to positive retucontributions from risk assets, resulting in positive returns in all asset classes.
The managed portfolio was invested as follows:
As at |
|
|
$m |
$m |
|
Fixed maturity securities |
2,603.8 |
2,280.1 |
Managed cash and cash equivalents |
294.4 |
263.8 |
Private investment funds |
253.1 |
165.6 |
Hedge funds |
7.9 |
9.9 |
Other investments |
0.1 |
(0.1) |
Total |
3,159.3 |
2,719.3 |
Key investment portfolio statistics for our fixed maturity securities and managed cash and cash equivalents were:
As at |
|
|
$m |
$m |
|
Duration |
2.0 years |
1.6 years |
Credit quality |
AA- |
AA- |
Book yield |
4.7% |
4.0% |
Market yield |
5.0% |
5.3% |
Other operating expenses
For the year ended |
|
|
$m |
$m |
|
Operating expenses - fixed |
184.8 |
147.9 |
Operating expenses - variable |
36.4 |
41.7 |
Total operating expenses |
221.2 |
189.6 |
Directly attributable expenses allocated to insurance service expenses |
(105.3) |
(82.2) |
Other operating expenses |
115.9 |
107.4 |
The most significant driver of the increase in operating expenses for 2024, compared to 2023, was an increase in fixed costs of
In 2024,
Capital
As at
Dividends
On
Lancashire's Board of Directors has declared a special dividend of
Financial Information
The Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended
The 2024 Annual Report and Accounts is expected to be circulated to shareholders from
Analyst and Investor Earnings Conference Call
There will be an analyst and investor conference call on the results at
Participant Registration and Access Information:
Audio conference call access:
Please register at this link to obtain your personal audio conference pin and call details.
Webcast access:
https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=FA3FEF89-663A-441D-998A-ABA12532AC00
Please use this link to register and access the call via webcast.
A webcast replay facility will be available for 12 months and accessible at:
https://www.lancashiregroup.com/en/investors/results-reports-and-presentations.html
For further information, please contact: |
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About Lancashire
Lancashire, through its operating subsidiaries, is a provider of global specialty insurance and reinsurance products. The Group companies carry the following ratings:
Financial |
Financial |
Long Term |
|
Strength |
Strength |
Issuer |
|
Rating1 |
Outlook1 |
Rating2 |
|
|
A (Excellent) |
Stable |
bbb+ |
|
A- |
Positive |
BBB |
|
A3 |
Stable |
Baa2 |
- Financial Strength Rating and Financial Strength Outlook apply to
Lancashire Insurance Company Limited andLancashire Insurance Company (UK) Limited . - Long Term Issuer Rating applies to
Lancashire Holdings Limited .
Ratings: AA- (Very Strong); and Fitch: AA- (Very Strong).
Lancashire's common shares trade in the equity shares (commercial companies) category of the Main Market of the
The
This release contains information, which may be of a price sensitive nature that Lancashire is making public in a manner consistent with the
Alternative Performance Measures (APMs)
As is common practice within the insurance industry, the Group also utilises certain non-GAAP measures to evaluate, monitor and manage the business and to aid users' understanding of the Group. Management believes that APMs are important for understanding the Group's overall results of operations and may be helpful to investors and other interested parties who may benefit from having a consistent basis for comparison with other companies within the industry. However, these measures may not be comparable to similarly labelled measures used by companies inside or outside the insurance industry. In addition, the information contained herein should not be viewed as superior to, or a substitute for, the measures determined in accordance with the accounting principles used by the Group for its Consolidated financial statements or in accordance with GAAP.
In compliance with the Guidelines on APMs of the
All amounts, excluding share data, ratios, percentages, or where otherwise stated, are in millions of US dollars.
Net insurance ratio:
Ratio, in per cent, of net insurance expenses to net insurance revenue. Net insurance expenses represent the insurance service expenses less amounts recoverable from reinsurers. Net insurance revenue represents insurance revenue less allocation of reinsurance premium.
For the year ended 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Insurance service expenses |
1,186.1 |
696.2 |
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers |
(240.3) |
16.8 |
Net insurance expenses |
945.8 |
713.0 |
Insurance revenue |
1,765.1 |
1,519.9 |
Allocation of reinsurance premium |
(439.4) |
(424.8) |
Net insurance revenue |
1,325.7 |
1,095.1 |
Net insurance ratio |
71.3% |
65.1% |
Operating expense ratio:
Ratio, in per cent, of other operating expenses, excluding equity based compensation expense, to net insurance revenue.
For the year ended 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Other operating expenses |
115.9 |
107.4 |
Net insurance revenue |
1,325.7 |
1,095.1 |
Operating expense ratio |
8.7% |
9.8% |
Combined ratio (discounted):
Ratio, in per cent, of the sum of net insurance expenses plus other operating expenses to net insurance revenue.
For the year ended 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Net insurance ratio |
71.3% |
65.1% |
Net operating expense ratio |
8.7% |
9.8% |
Combined ratio (discounted) |
80.0% |
74.9% |
Combined ratio (undiscounted) (KPI):
Ratio, in per cent, of the sum of net insurance expenses plus other operating expenses to net insurance revenue. This ratio excludes the impact of the discounting recognised within net insurance expenses.
For the year ended 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Combined ratio (discounted) |
80.0% |
74.9% |
Discount included in net insurance |
120.3 |
84.7 |
expenses |
||
Net insurance revenue |
1,325.7 |
1,095.1 |
Discounting impact on combined ratio |
9.1% |
7.7% |
Combined ratio (undiscounted) |
89.1% |
82.6% |
Diluted book value per share ('DBVS') attributable to the Group:
Calculated based on the value of the total shareholders' equity attributable to the Group, divided by the sum of all shares and dilutive restricted stock units (as calculated under the treasury method), assuming all are exercised.
As at 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Shareholders' equity attributable |
1,493.3 |
1,507.9 |
to the Group |
||
Common voting shares |
240,584,795 |
239,037,977 |
outstanding* |
||
Shares relating to dilutive |
6,877,762 |
5,355,909 |
restricted stock |
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Fully converted book value |
247,462,557 |
244,393,886 |
denominator |
||
Diluted book value per share |
|
|
*Common voting shares outstanding comprise issued share capital less amounts held in trust.
Change in DBVS (KPI):
The internal rate of retuof the change in DBVS in the period plus accrued dividends. Sometimes referred to as RoE.
As at 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Opening DBVS |
|
|
Q1 dividend per share |
|
- |
Q2 dividend per share |
|
|
Q3 dividend per share |
|
|
Q4 dividend per share |
|
|
Closing DBVS |
|
|
Change in DBVS |
23.4% |
24.7% |
Total investment retu(KPI):
Total investment retuin percentage terms is calculated by dividing the total net investment retuexcluding interest income on non-managed cash and cash equivalents, by the investment portfolio net asset value including managed cash and cash equivalents, on a daily basis. These daily returns are then geometrically linked to provide a total retufor the period. The total investment retucan be approximated by dividing the total net investment retuexcluding interest on non-managed cash and cash equivalents by the average portfolio net asset value, including managed cash and cash equivalents.
For the year ended 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Net investment return |
162.2 |
160.5 |
Less interest income on non-managed |
(13.6) |
(12.5) |
cash and cash equivalents |
||
Net investment retuexcluding |
||
interest on non-managed cash and cash |
148.6 |
148.0 |
equivalents |
||
Average invested assets including |
2,939.3 |
2,592.6 |
managed cash and cash equivalents* |
||
Approximate total investment return |
5.1% |
5.7% |
Reported total investment return |
5.0% |
5.7% |
*Calculated as the average between the opening and closing investments and our managed cash and cash equivalents.
Total shareholder retu(KPI):
Determined using the simple method of calculating the increase/(decrease) in the Group's share price, adjusted for dividends (included at the ex-dividend date) as recalculated below. This measurement basis will generally approximate the increase/(decrease) in share price in the period measured on a total retubasis, which assumes the reinvestment of dividends.
As at 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Opening share price |
|
|
Q1 dividend per share |
|
- |
Q2 dividend per share |
|
|
Q3 dividend per share |
|
|
Q4 dividend per share |
|
|
Q4 closing share price |
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Total shareholder return |
22.1% |
9.5% |
Gross premiums written:
The Group adopted IFRS 17 on
GAAP APM.
The table below reconciles gross premiums written on an IFRS 4 basis to insurance revenue on an IFRS 17 basis.
For the year ended 31 |
2024 |
2023 |
December |
||
Gross premiums written |
2,149.6 |
1,931.7 |
Change in unearned premiums |
(105.9) |
(207.7) |
Gross earned premium |
2,043.7 |
1,724.0 |
Adjust for reinstatement |
(5.3) |
(7.1) |
premiums |
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Less commission and non- |
(273.3) |
(197.0) |
distinct investment components |
||
Total insurance revenue |
1,765.1 |
1,519.9 |
Gross premiums written under management (KPI):
The gross premiums written under management equals the total of the Group's consolidated gross premiums written, plus the external Names portion of the gross premiums written in Syndicate 2010.
For the year ended 31 December |
2024 |
2023 |
Gross premiums written by the Group |
2,149.6 |
1,931.7 |
LSL Syndicate 2010 - external Names |
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portion of gross premiums written |
120.5 |
140.5 |
(unconsolidated) |
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Total gross premiums written under |
2,270.1 |
2,072.2 |
management |
NOTE REGARDING RPI METHODOLOGY
THE RENEWAL PRICE INDEX ("RPI") IS AN INTERNAL METHODOLOGY THAT MANAGEMENT USES TO TRACK TRENDS IN PREMIUM RATES OF A PORTFOLIO OF INSURANCE AND REINSURANCE CONTRACTS. THE RPI WRITTEN IN THE RESPECTIVE SEGMENTS IS CALCULATED ON A PER CONTRACT BASIS AND REFLECTS MANAGEMENT'S ASSESSMENT OF RELATIVE CHANGES IN PRICE, TERMS, CONDITIONS AND LIMITS AND IS WEIGHTED BY PREMIUM VOLUME. THE RPI DOES NOT INCLUDE NEW BUSINESS, TO OFFER A CONSISTENT BASIS FOR ANALYSIS. THE CALCULATION INVOLVES A DEGREE OF JUDGEMENT IN RELATION TO COMPARABILITY OF CONTRACTS AND THE ASSESSMENT NOTED ABOVE. TO ENHANCE THE RPI METHODOLOGY, MANAGEMENT MAY REVISE THE METHODOLOGY AND ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING THE RPI, SO THE TRENDS IN PREMIUM RATES REFLECTED IN THE RPI MAY NOT BE COMPARABLE OVER TIME. CONSIDERATION IS ONLY GIVEN TO RENEWALS OF A COMPARABLE NATURE SO IT DOES NOT REFLECT EVERY CONTRACT IN THE PORTFOLIO OF CONTRACTS. THE FUTURE PROFITABILITY OF THE PORTFOLIO OF CONTRACTS WITHIN THE RPI IS DEPENDENT UPON MANY FACTORS BESIDES THE TRENDS IN PREMIUM RATES.
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
CERTAIN STATEMENTS AND INDICATIVE PROJECTIONS (WHICH MAY INCLUDE MODELLED LOSS SCENARIOS) MADE IN THIS RELEASE OR OTHERWISE THAT ARE NOT BASED ON CURRENT OR HISTORICAL FACTS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING IN NATURE INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, STATEMENTS CONTAINING THE WORDS "BELIEVES", "AIMS", "ANTICIPATES", "PLANS", "PROJECTS", "FORECASTS", "GUIDANCE", "POLICY", "INTENDS", "EXPECTS", "ESTIMATES", "PREDICTS", "MAY", "CAN",
"LIKELY", "WILL", "SEEKS", "SHOULD", OR, IN EACH CASE, THEIR NEGATIVE OR COMPARABLE TERMINOLOGY. SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS INVOLVE KNOWN AND
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