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Arch Capital Q3 Earnings Beat, Revenues Miss Estimates

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Key Takeaways

  • {\"0\":\"Arch Capital\'s Q3 operating income rose 39.2% year over year, beating estimates by 26.5%.\",\"1\":\"Underwriting income surged 61.9% with a 680-basis-point improvement in the combined ratio.\",\"2\":\"Higher premiums in Insurance and solid investment income offset weaker Reinsurance and Mortgage results.\"}

Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2025 operating income of $2.77 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 26.5%. The bottom line increased 39.2% year over year.

The quarterly results of ACGL benefited from higher premiums at its Insurance segment, improved net investment income and a not-so-active cat environment.

Behind the Headlines

Gross premiums written declined 0.6% year over year to $5.4 billion.

Net premiums written declined 2.1% year over year to $4 billion on higher premiums written in its Insurance segment. 

Pre-tax net investment income increased 2.3% year over year to $408 million. The uptick was driven by growth in average invested assets, due in part to strong operating cash flows.  The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $413.5 million. Our estimate was $416.4 million.

Operating revenues of $4.7 billion rose 7.8% year over year, driven by higher net premiums earned, net investment income and other income. However, revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.6%.

Arch Capital Group Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Arch Capital Group Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Arch Capital Group Ltd. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Arch Capital Group Ltd. Quote

Pre-tax current accident year catastrophic losses for the company’s insurance and reinsurance segments, net of reinsurance and reinstatement premiums, were $72 million.

Arch Capital’s underwriting income increased 61.9% year over year to $871 million. The combined ratio, the percentage of premiums paid out as claims and expenses, improved 680 basis points (bps) to 79.8. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 84.

Segmental Results

Insurance: Gross premiums written increased 9.7% year over year to $2.6 billion. Net premiums written climbed 7.3% year over year to $2 billion, primarily reflecting business related to the MCE Acquisition. Our estimate was $1.9 billion.

Underwriting income of $129 million was 7.5% higher than the year-ago number. Our estimate was $199.9 million.

The combined ratio deteriorated 30 bps to 93.4. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 94.5.

Reinsurance: Gross premiums written declined 9% year over year to $2.5 billion. Net premiums written declined 10.7% year over year to $1.7 billion, primarily due to the impact of two transactions in the year-ago quarter in the specialty line of business and the lower level of reinstatement premiums in the reported quarter. Our estimate was $2.2 billion.

Underwriting income was $482 million, up 223.5% year over year. The combined ratio improved 1620 bps year over year to 76.1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 81.57.

Mortgage: Gross premiums written dipped 2.7% year over year to $330 million. Net premiums written decreased 2.8% year over year to $274 million and reflected lower U.S. monthly and single premium volume. Our estimate was $271.3 million.

Underwriting income decreased 3.3% year over year to $260 million. The combined ratio deteriorated 130 bps to 13.5. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 23.22.

Financial Update

Arch Capital exited the quarter with cash of $1.1 billion, which increased 8.6% from 2024-end. Debt was $2.7 billion as of Sept. 30, 2025, which remained unchanged from the end of 2024.

As of Sept. 30, 2025, the book value per share was $62.32, up 17.3% from the 2024-end level.

Annualized operating return on average common equity expanded 70 bps year over year to 18.5%. Cash from operations of $2.2 billion increased 8.3% year over year. 

ACGL repurchased $732 million worth of shares in the third quarter of 2025.

Zacks Rank

ACGL currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Performance of Other Insurers

The Progressive Corporation’s (PGR - Free Report) third-quarter 2025 earnings per share of $4.05 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20.3%. Operating revenues of $22.2 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.6%. However, the bottom line increased 13.1% year over year while the top line increased 12.7%. 

Net premiums written were $21.3 billion in the quarter, up 10% from $19.5 billion a year ago. Net premiums earned grew 14% to $20.8 billion, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $21.1 billion.

The Travelers Companies (TRV - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2025 core income of $8.14 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 35.4%. The bottom line increased 55% year over year. Travelers’ total revenues increased 5% from the year-ago quarter to $12.44 billion, primarily driven by higher premiums, net investment income, fee income and other revenues. The top-line figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.7%.

Net written premiums increased 1% year over year to a record $11.47 billion. The underwriting gain doubled year over year to $1.4 billion. The consolidated underlying combined ratio of 83.9 improved 170 bps year over year. The combined ratio improved 590 bps year over year to 87.3 due to lower catastrophe losses and an improvement in the underlying combined ratio, partially offset by lower net favorable prior year reserve development.

W.R. Berkley Corporation's (WRB - Free Report) third-quarter 2025 operating income of $1.10 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.03 per share by 2.8%. The bottom line increased 18.3% year over year. Operating revenues came in at $3.6 billion, up 8.2% year over year, on the back of higher net premiums earned as well as improved net investment income and higher insurance service fees. The top line beat the consensus estimate by 0.4%.

W.R. Berkley’s net premiums written were $3.4 billion, up 5.5% year over year. Our estimate was $3.3 billion.  The consolidated combined ratio (a measure of underwriting profitability) remained flat year over year at 90.9. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 89.6.

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