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Hiscox hails record profits, announces $150m buyback

(Sharecast News) - Hiscox hailed record full-year pre-tax profit on Tuesday amid record investment income as it announced a $150m share buyback. In the year to the end of December 2023, pre-tax profit rose to $625.9m from $275.6m a year earlier. This was underpinned by a 36.4% increase in the insurance result to $492.3m and record net investment income of $384.4m, versus a loss of $187.3m a year earlier.

Net written premiums were up 10.7% to $3.6bn, while the undiscounted combined ratio came in at 89.8%, down from 91.1% in 2022. The lower the combined ratio, the more profitable the insurer is.

The group return on equity rose from 10.1% to 21.8% - the highest it has delivered in seven years.

Hiscox also announced the launch of a share buyback of up to $150m.

Chief executive Aki Hussain pointed to the record profits and said: "This excellent result has led to very strong capital generation, which we are deploying for further growth in all parts of the business in addition to a special return to shareholders of $150 million.

"The buyback will commence immediately and illustrates our objective of delivering strong returns to our shareholders."

At 0915 GMT, the shares were up 2% at 1,144p.

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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