We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Property & Casualty Insurance Stocks to Buy. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) stands against the other property and casualty insurance stocks.
Property and casualty (P&C) insurers face the hardest market mainly because of the increasing expenses, large claims payouts, and price-shopping policyholders. To revive the growth, they are required to shift to a more proactive strategy and exploit new developments and opportunities available in auto, homeowners’, and renters’ insurance.
With several insurers posting sound profitability in 2023, and in response to some notable improvements in the reinsurance market, the insurance market in 2Q 2024 was growth-oriented yet disciplined. Insurer strategies were focused on underwriting and pricing for profitability and program stability. As we approach the mid-point of the decade, the property & casualty insurance industry continues to see significant transformation led by technological advancements, fluctuating consumer preferences, and evolving regulatory landscapes.
Property & Casualty Insurance is expected to leverage digital technologies to enhance customer experience. This will be in the form of interactive digital ecosystems, building unique customer intelligence, and incorporating products and services to meet the demands of a digital world. Insurers plan to adopt technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance customer service and streamline processes.
Climate Change and Property and Casualty Insurers
The increase in weather-related losses and inflation-impacted costs to revive the damaged assets continue to weigh on homeowner insurers’ profitability. As we all know, this is a segment that was already under stress due to years of persistent high loss ratios. Deloitte reported that, in 2022, ~75% of the property and casualty sector’s insured losses, or US$74 billion, were associated with the US homeowner segment.
With the severity and frequency of losses due to natural catastrophes continuing to increase at an estimated average annual growth rate of 5% – 7%, experts believe that US homeowners might see up to US$118 billion in losses by 2030 end as a result of weather events. In this situation, what should be an approach for Property and Casualty Insurers?
Insurers, in alliance with government agencies and policyholders, should invest ~US$3.35 billion in residential dwelling resiliency measures. It is being said that two-thirds of the US homes which are not built as per the codes can be made in such a way that they can steer through weather-related claims losses.
Deloitte also stated that such actions might help the property and casualty insurers save ~US$37 billion by 2030 end.
The rise in insurance rates is the most preferred way for property insurers to offset higher costs of catastrophic events. Property and Casualty Insurers shore up their premiums on homeowners so that they can make up for the rising losses. This can mean hefty profits for the leading property and casualty insurers.
S&P Global stated that, throughout the US, most of the property and casualty insurers have increased their rates for homeowners’ coverage by approximately double digits over the last year. As per NOAA, the US saw ~28 weather and climate disasters last year, outpacing the previous high of ~22 disasters in 2020. The atmospheric and oceanic conditions can result in an extremely active hurricane season. NOAA also stated that the hurricane season kicked off to a violent start with Hurricane Beryl. This is the earliest category-5 Atlantic hurricane on record.
Higher Costs and Weather-related Catastrophe Losses
More and more natural disasters continue to damage assets every year. The number of US catastrophic events went up by ~32% between 2019 and 2022. As a result of this, property and casualty insurers’ losses escalated from US$25 billion in 2019 to US$99 billion in 2022. This made a whopping ~80% of the global natural catastrophe losses. A recent report from Swiss RE has suggested that total insured losses worldwide due to weather-related natural catastrophes exceeded $122 billion last year.
Adding to this, Capgemini revealed an eye-shattering ~250% increase in economic losses in the previous 3 decades because of climate and extreme weather events.
Over 2020 and 2023, replacement costs for property and casualty-related losses increased by ~45%. This was seen when the overall inflation growth sat at ~15%. While some believe that climate change might be leading to disasters, housing demands are also driving the risk.
While the climate-related risk continues to persist, Americans still prefer to migrate to disaster-prone areas. Not only this, but they are also building higher-value homes in such regions. For example, over 1990 and 2020, ~44 million homes were built in regions where wildfires are quite common, like California and Colorado. As a result of such factors, there has been a deterioration in the US property and casualty industry combined ratio, from ~98.8% in 2020 to ~102.7% in 2022.
Amidst This Chaos, What Should Property and Casualty Insurers Do?
Property and casualty insurers should look for some alternative strategies such as loss prevention and mitigation if they want to maintain their viability in regions that are prone to extreme weather conditions.
The new homes, which are built with advanced construction materials, such as engineered timber, impact-resistant glass windows, and enhanced roof coverings, can sustain damage from severe weather conditions as compared to the existing homes. For example, the average annual expenses due to wind damage came out to be ~84% lower for the house which was built in 2022 to code compared to a 1990s-era home. As per Federal Emergency Management Agency, the average annual damages from climate change might fall by ~48% for homes meeting the specified criteria/codes.
As of now, ~35% of residences nationally have been constructed as per the desired standards and codes.
This means that property and casualty insurers can help the remaining ~65% of the homeowners improve their dwellings to meet the desired standards.
For example, the insurers can provide some policy premium discounts to homeowners. This will incentivize them to upgrade to hazard-resistant standards and codes. Property and Casualty Insurers might also make homeowners aware regarding the prevailing state-sponsored incentives.
Our methodology
To compile the list of 10 Best Property & Casualty Insurance Stocks to Buy, we used the Finviz stock screener and extracted the stocks related to the property & casualty insurance industry. Once we had our filtered list, we ranked the stocks based on analysts’ average price target upside, as of August 14.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A close up of a satisfied customer talking to an insurance agent.
Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI)
Average Upside Potential: 10.09%
Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) provides a broad range of commercial insurance products, alternative risk management products along with managed care and related services.
While the stock has been under pressure over the past few months, it seems that it is well-placed to take off. The company released its 2Q 2024 financial results, wherein, its net premiums written saw an increase of 13% against 2Q 2023. However, it posted a combined ratio of 116.1%.
The net unfavorable prior year casualty reserve development of $176 million increased its combined ratio by 16.3 points. The combined ratio increased by 8.4 points due to catastrophe losses of $91 million.
That being said, Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) has a very stable underwriting portfolio. To address the updated view of loss costs, the company has decided to go for additional price increases. Its renewal pure price increase throughout all the insurance segments was 9.1% in 2Q 2024. This included 7.9% for Standard Commercial Lines. The general liability renewal pure pricing increased to 7.6%. Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) expects that standard commercial lines renewal pure price will trend northwards in 2H 2024.
It plans to maintain disciplined focus and execution in risk selection, pricing, and claims management amidst a challenging and dynamic loss trend environment.
Analysts at BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI). They increased their price target on the company’s shares from $92.00 to $95.00, giving a “Market perform” rating on 24th July.
Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) was in the portfolios of 15 hedge funds in the first quarter of 2024, according to Insider Monkey’s database.
Overall SIGI ranks 7th on our list of the best property and casualty insurance stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of SIGI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SIGI but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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