Skyward Specialty Insurance Group Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results


HOUSTON, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SKWD) (“Skyward Specialty” or the “Company”) today reported third quarter 2024 net income of $36.7 million, or $0.89 per diluted share, compared to $21.7 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, for the same 2023 period. Net income for the first nine months of 2024 was $104.4 million, or $2.53 per diluted share, compared to $56.7 million, or $1.50 per diluted share, for the same 2023 period.

Adjusted operating income(1) for the third quarter of 2024 was $29.4 million, or $0.71 per diluted share, compared to $25.0 million, or $0.65 per diluted share, for the same 2023 period. Adjusted operating income(1) for the first nine months of 2024 was $93.4 million, or $2.26 per diluted share, compared to $56.5 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, for the same 2023 period.

Highlights for the third quarter included:

  • Gross written premiums of $400.0 million an increase of 12.4% compared to the third quarter of 2023.
  • Combined ratio of 92.2% and ex-Cat combined ratio of 89.4% compared to 90.2% and 89.8%, respectively, for the third quarter of 2023.
  • Annualized return on equity of 19.1% through the first nine months of 2024 compared to 15.8% for the same 2023 period.
  • Book value per share of $19.89, an increase of 19% compared to December 31, 2023.
(1) See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures"

Skyward Specialty Chairman and CEO Andrew Robinson commented, "These past weeks have proven to be a very difficult time and our thoughts continue to be with those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton; I am proud of the extraordinary efforts of our claims team and partners who continue to deliver exceptional service to our customers affected by these catastrophes."

"As for our third quarter, our results reflect our continued excellent execution of our "Rule our Niche" strategy, and our disciplined underwriting and our strategic risk management. Our adjusted operating income was up nearly 18% over the prior year quarter, continuing the trend of strong earnings growth we have delivered every quarter as a public company, and our 19.1% annualized return on equity year to date is outstanding. We delivered gross written premiums growth of 12.4% over the prior year quarter while continuing to increase our mix of business to areas that are less exposed to the P&C cycles. Given investments into our business, the momentum building in certain divisions, and with full consideration for the market backdrop, I am confident that we are well positioned to deliver strong growth as we look forward to the coming quarters."

Results of Operations

Underwriting Results

Premiums            
($ in thousands) Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
unaudited  2024   2023  % Change  2024   2023  % Change
Gross written premiums $400,014  $355,732  12.4% $1,354,877  $1,138,224  19.0%
Ceded written premiums $(131,692) $(75,036) 75.5% $(502,326) $(441,650) 13.7%
Net retention  67.1%  78.9% NM (1)   62.9%  61.2% NM (1) 
Net written premiums $268,322  $280,696  (4.4)% $852,551  $696,574  22.4%
Net earned premiums $269,557  $227,033  18.7% $763,482  $604,211  26.4%
(1) Not meaningful            
             


The increase in gross written premiums for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024, when compared to the same 2023 periods, was driven by double-digit premium growth primarily from our transactional E&S, programs, captives, surety and global property & agriculture underwriting divisions.

During the third quarter and first nine months of 2023, the Company cancelled a quota share reinsurance contract. Excluding the impact of the cancellation, net written premiums for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024 increased 16.5%(2) and 32.0%(2), respectively, when compared to the same 2023 periods.

Combined Ratio Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited) 2024 2023 2024 2023
Non-cat loss and LAE(1) 60.6% 60.7% 60.6% 60.9%
Cat loss and LAE(1) 2.8% 0.4% 1.5% 1.8%
Prior accident year development - LPT(2) (0.1)% (0.1)% (0.1)% (0.2)%
Loss Ratio 63.3% 61.0% 62.0% 62.5%
Net policy acquisition costs 13.9% 15.0% 13.9% 13.0%
Other operating and general expenses 15.7% 15.1% 15.8% 16.3%
Commission and fee income (0.7)% (0.9)% (0.8)% (1.0)%
Expense ratio 28.9% 29.2% 28.9% 28.3%
Combined ratio 92.2% 90.2% 90.9% 90.8%
Ex-Cat Combined Ratio(3) 89.4% 89.8% 89.4% 89.0%
         
Adjusted Underwriting Ratios        
Adjusted loss ratio(2) 63.4% 61.1% 62.1% 62.7%
Expense ratio 28.9% 29.2% 28.9% 28.3%
Adjusted combined ratio(2) 92.3% 90.3% 91.0% 91.0%
(1) Current accident year
(2) See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures"
(3) Defined as the combined ratio excluding cat loss and LAE(1)      
         


The loss ratios for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024 increased 2.3 points and improved 0.5 points, respectively, when compared to the same 2023 periods. The third quarter of 2024 was impacted by higher catastrophe losses, primarily from Hurricanes Helene and Beryl.

The expense ratios for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024 were comparable to the same 2023 periods.

The expense ratios for all periods presented exclude the impact of IPO related stock compensation and secondary offering expenses, which are reported in other expenses in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

Investment Results

Net Investment Income        
$ in thousands Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited)  2024   2023   2024  2023 
Short-term investments & cash and cash equivalents $4,537  $3,022  $13,645 $8,007 
Fixed income  15,458   9,488   41,722  24,867 
Equities  596   650   1,974  1,332 
Alternative & strategic investments  (1,070)  (71)  2,615  (7,888)
Net investment income $19,521  $13,089  $59,956 $26,318 
Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities still held $8,378  $(6,391) $15,609 $2,394 
Net realized gains  1,809   3,407   1,056  934 
Net investment gains (losses) $10,187  $(2,984) $16,665 $3,328 
 


Beginning January 1, 2024 we simplified the investment portfolio classifications to align with our strategy and the underlying risk characteristics of the portfolio. The prior period has been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

Net investment income for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024 increased $6.4 million and $33.6 million, respectively when compared to the same 2023 periods, primarily driven by increased income from our fixed income portfolio and short-term investments due to higher yields and larger asset bases.

Stockholders’ Equity

Stockholders’ equity was $797.5 million at September 30, 2024 which represents an increase of 10.2% when compared to stockholders' equity of $723.6 million at June 30, 2024. The increase in stockholders’ equity was primarily due to net income and an increase in the market value of our investment portfolio.

Share Repurchase Authorization

In October 2024, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to $50.0 million of the Company's common stock.

Skyward Specialty Chairman and CEO Andrew Robinson commented, “The share repurchase program allows Skyward to opportunistically deploy our capital in an accretive fashion and ultimately drive long-term value creation for our shareholders. Given our strong cash position and financing flexibility, the repurchase program will not limit our ability to support our near-term growth or our flexibility to support ongoing investment in the key growth areas of our business, or to capture additional value creating opportunities.”

The shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market purchases, privately-negotiated transactions, block purchases, accelerated share repurchase agreements or a combination of methods and pursuant to safe harbors provided by Rule 10b-18 and Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases under the share repurchase program will be determined by the Company in its discretion. The stock repurchase program does not require the Company to repurchase any specific number of shares, and may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time.

Conference Call

At 9:30 a.m. eastern time tomorrow, October 30, 2024, Skyward Specialty management will hold a conference call to discuss quarterly results with insurance industry analysts. Interested parties may listen to the discussion at investors.skywardinsurance.com under Events & Presentations. Additionally, investors can access the earnings call via conference call by registering via the conference link. Users will receive dial-in information and a unique PIN to join the call upon registering.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release contains certain financial measures and ratios that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). We refer to these measures as “non-GAAP financial measures.” We use these non-GAAP financial measures when planning, monitoring, and evaluating our performance.

We have chosen to exclude the net impact of the Loss Portfolio Transfer (“LPT”), all development on reserves fully or partially covered by the LPT and amortization of deferred gains associated with recoveries of prior LPT reserve strengthening in certain non-GAAP metrics, where noted, as the business subject to the LPT is not representative of our continuing business strategy. The business subject to the LPT is primarily related to policy years 2017 and prior, was generated and managed under prior leadership, and has either been exited or substantially repositioned during the reevaluation of our portfolio. We consider these non-GAAP financial measures to be useful metrics for our management and investors to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period. While we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating our business, this information should be considered supplemental in nature and is not meant to be a substitute for revenue or net income, in each case as recognized in accordance with GAAP. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate such measures differently, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. For more information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of such measures to comparable GAAP financial measures, see the section entitled “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

About Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.

Skyward Specialty is a rapidly growing and innovative specialty insurance company, delivering commercial property and casualty products and solutions on a non-admitted and admitted basis. The Company operates through eight underwriting divisions - Accident & Health, Captives, Global Property & Agriculture, Industry Solutions, Professional Lines, Programs, Surety and Transactional E&S. SKWD stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, which represents the top fourth of all Nasdaq listed companies.

Skyward Specialty's subsidiary insurance companies consist of Houston Specialty Insurance Company, Imperium Insurance Company, Great Midwest Insurance Company, and Oklahoma Specialty Insurance Company. These insurance companies are rated A (Excellent) with stable outlook by A.M. Best Company. Additional information about Skyward Specialty can be found on our website at www.skywardinsurance.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements are typically, but not always, identified through use of the words "believe," "expect," "enable," "may," "will," "could," "intends," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "predict," "probable," "potential," "possible," "should," "continue," and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Skyward Specialty's Form 10-K, and include (but are not limited to) legislative changes at both the state and federal level, state and federal regulatory rule making promulgations and adjudications, class action litigation involving the insurance industry and judicial decisions affecting claims, policy coverages and the general costs of doing business, the potential loss of key members of our management team or key employees and our ability to attract and retain personnel, the impact of competition on products and pricing, inflation in the costs of the products and services insurance pays for, product development, geographic spread of risk, weather and weather-related events, other types of catastrophic events, our ability to obtain reinsurance coverage at prices and on terms that allow us to transfer risk and adequately protect our company against financial loss, and losses resulting from reinsurance counterparties failing to pay us on reinsurance claims. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.

Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.

Investor contact:
Natalie Schoolcraft,
nschoolcraft@skywardinsurance.com
614-494-4988

or

Media contact:
Haley Doughty
hdoughty@skywardinsurance.com
713-935-4944


Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets    
($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts)    
(unaudited) September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
Assets    
Investments:    
Fixed maturity securities, available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $1,359,700 and $1,047,713, respectively) $1,357,500  $1,017,651 
Fixed maturity securities, held-to-maturity, at amortized cost (net of allowance for credit losses of $239 and $329, respectively)  39,321   42,986 
Equity securities, at fair value  124,719   118,249 
Mortgage loans, at fair value  36,267   50,070 
Equity method investments  102,111   110,653 
Other long-term investments  23,802   3,852 
Short-term investments, at fair value  206,358   270,226 
Total investments  1,890,078   1,613,687 
Cash and cash equivalents  105,573   65,891 
Restricted cash  45,783   34,445 
Premiums receivable, net  327,176   179,235 
Reinsurance recoverables, net  686,725   596,334 
Ceded unearned premium  236,962   186,121 
Deferred policy acquisition costs  119,910   91,955 
Deferred income taxes  18,502   21,991 
Goodwill and intangible assets, net  87,607   88,435 
Other assets  80,547   75,341 
Total assets $3,598,863  $2,953,435 
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity    
Liabilities:    
Reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses $1,568,777  $1,314,501 
Unearned premiums  692,452   552,532 
Deferred ceding commission  44,984   37,057 
Reinsurance and premium payables  200,967   150,156 
Funds held for others  102,219   58,588 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  73,001   50,880 
Notes payable  100,000   50,000 
Subordinated debt, net of debt issuance costs  18,956   78,690 
Total liabilities  2,801,356   2,292,404 
Stockholders’ equity    
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 40,099,931 and 39,863,756 shares issued and outstanding, respectively  401   399 
Additional paid-in capital  716,095   710,855 
Stock notes receivable     (5,562)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (1,703)  (22,953)
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)  82,714   (21,708)
Total stockholders’ equity  797,507   661,031 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $3,598,863  $2,953,435 
     



Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income
($ in thousands) Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited)  2024   2023   2024   2023 
         
Revenues:        
Net earned premiums $269,557  $227,033  $763,482  $604,211 
Commission and fee income  1,818   2,085   5,897   5,817 
Net investment income  19,521   13,089   59,956   26,318 
Net investment gains (losses)  10,187   (2,984)  16,665   3,328 
Other loss  (195)     (202)   
Total revenues  300,888   239,223   845,798   639,674 
Expenses:        
Losses and loss adjustment expenses  170,521   138,536   473,489   377,841 
Underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses  79,817   68,315   226,270   176,653 
Interest expense  2,229   2,632   7,405   7,250 
Amortization expense  351   463   1,099   1,336 
Other expenses  1,117   1,482   3,350   4,061 
Total expenses  254,035   211,428   711,613   567,141 
Income before income taxes  46,853   27,795   134,185   72,533 
Income tax expense  10,185   6,084   29,763   15,814 
Net income  36,668   21,711   104,422   56,719 
Net income attributable to participating securities           1,492 
Net income attributable to common stockholders $36,668  $21,711  $104,422  $55,227 
Comprehensive income:        
Net income $36,668  $21,711  $104,422  $56,719 
Other comprehensive income:        
Unrealized gains and losses on investments:        
Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net of tax  31,396   (8,722)  24,527   (5,309)
Reclassification adjustment for losses on securities no longer held, net of tax  (1,963)  (3,667)  (3,277)  (4,879)
Total other comprehensive income (loss)  29,433   (12,389)  21,250   (10,188)
Comprehensive income $66,101  $9,322  $125,672  $46,531 
         


Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.
Share and Per Share Data         
($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts) Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited)  2024   2023   2024   2023 
         
Weighted average basic shares  40,098,345   36,743,393   40,039,269   35,502,843 
Weighted average diluted shares  41,428,557   38,403,843   41,302,108   37,830,431 
         
Basic earnings per share $0.91  $0.59  $2.61  $1.56 
Diluted earnings per share $0.89  $0.57  $2.53  $1.50 
Basic adjusted operating earnings per share $0.73  $0.68  $2.33  $1.55 
Diluted adjusted operating earnings per share $0.71  $0.65  $2.26  $1.49 
         
Annualized ROE (1)  19.3%  16.4%  19.1%  15.8%
Annualized adjusted ROE (2)  15.5%  18.9%  17.1%  15.8%
Annualized ROTE (3)  21.8%  19.7%  21.7%  19.4%
Annualized adjusted ROTE (4)  17.5%  22.8%  19.4%  19.4%
         
      September 30 December 31
       2024   2023 
         
Shares outstanding      40,099,931   39,863,756 
Fully diluted shares outstanding      41,986,881   41,771,854 
         
Book value per share     $19.89  $16.72 
Fully diluted book value per share     $18.99  $15.96 
Fully diluted tangible book value per share     $16.91  $13.84 
         
(1) Annualized ROE is net income expressed on an annualized basis as a percentage of average beginning and ending stockholders' equity during the period
(2) Annualized adjusted ROE is adjusted operating income expressed on an annualized basis as a percentage of average beginning and ending stockholders' equity during the period
(3) Annualized ROTE is net income expressed on an annualized basis as a percentage of average beginning and ending tangible stockholders' equity during the period
(4) Annualized adjusted ROTE is adjusted operating income expressed on an annualized basis as a percentage of average beginning and ending tangible stockholders' equity during the period



Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted operating income – We define adjusted operating income as net income excluding the impact of certain items that may not be indicative of underlying business trends, operating results, or future outlook, net of tax impact. We use adjusted operating income as an internal performance measure in the management of our operations because we believe it gives our management and other users of our financial information useful insight into our results of operations and our underlying business performance. Adjusted operating income should not be viewed as a substitute for net income calculated in accordance with GAAP, and other companies may define adjusted operating income differently.        

($ in thousands)Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited) 2024   2023   2024   2023 
 Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax
Income as reported$46,853  $36,668  $27,795  $21,711  $134,185  $104,422  $72,533  $56,719 
Less (add):               
Net investment gains (losses) 10,187   8,048   (2,984)  (2,357)  16,665   13,165   3,328   2,629 
Net impact of loss portfolio transfer 318   251   266   210   800   632   970   766 
Other loss (195)  (154)        (202)  (160)      
Other expenses (1,117)  (882)  (1,482)  (1,171)  (3,350)  (2,647)  (4,061)  (3,208)
Adjusted operating income$37,660  $29,405  $31,995  $25,029  $120,272  $93,432  $72,296  $56,532 
                


Quota Share Reinsurance Cancellation
Reconciliation - to exclude the impact of the cancellation of a quota share reinsurance contract on ceded written premiums, net retention, net written premiums and net earned premiums for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023:

 Three months ended September 30,
  2024   2023  %
(unaudited)As Reported As Reported Adjustment Adjusted Change
Ceded written premiums$(131,692) $(75,036) $(50,462) $(125,498) 4.9%
Net retention 67.1%  78.9%    64.7% NM (1)
Net written premiums$268,322  $280,696  $(50,462) $230,234  16.5%
Net earned premiums$269,557  $227,033  $(13,145) $213,888  26.0%
          
 Nine months ended September 30,
  2024   2023  %
 As Reported As Reported Adjustment Adjusted Change
Ceded written premiums$(502,326) $(441,650) $(50,462) $(492,112) 2.1%
Net retention 62.9%      56.8% NM (1)
Net written premiums$852,551  $696,574  $(50,462) $646,112  32.0%
Net earned premiums$763,482  $604,211  $(13,145) $591,066  29.2%
          
(1) Not meaningful         
          


Underwriting income
– We define underwriting income as net income before income taxes excluding net investment income, net realized and unrealized gains and losses on investments, impairment charges, interest expense, amortization expense and other income and expenses. Underwriting income represents the pre-tax profitability of our underwriting operations and allows us to evaluate our underwriting performance without regard to investment income. We use this metric as we believe it gives our management and other users of our financial information useful insight into our underlying business performance. Underwriting income should not be viewed as a substitute for pre-tax income calculated in accordance with GAAP, and other companies may define underwriting income differently.

($ in thousands) Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited)  2024   2023   2024  2023
Income before federal income tax expense $46,853  $27,795  $134,185  $72,533
Add:        
Interest expense  2,229   2,632   7,405   7,250
Amortization expense  351   463   1,099   1,336
Other expenses  1,117   1,482   3,350   4,061
Less:        
Net investment income  19,521   13,089   59,956   26,318
Net investment gains (losses)  10,187   (2,984)  16,665   3,328
Other loss  (195)     (202)  
Underwriting income $21,037  $22,267  $69,620  $55,534
         


Adjusted Loss Ratio / Adjusted Combined Ratio
– We define adjusted loss ratio and adjusted combined ratio as the corresponding ratio (calculated in accordance with GAAP), excluding losses and LAE related to the LPT and all development on reserves fully or partially covered by the LPT and amortization of deferred gains associated with recoveries of prior LPT reserve strengthening. We use these adjusted ratios as internal performance measures in the management of our operations because we believe they give our management and other users of our financial information useful insight into our results of operations and our underlying business performance. Our adjusted loss ratio and adjusted combined ratio should not be viewed as substitutes for our loss ratio and combined ratio, respectively.

($ in thousands) Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
(unaudited)  2024   2023   2024   2023 
Net earned premiums $269,557  $227,033  $763,482  $604,211 
         
Losses and LAE  170,521   138,536   473,489   377,841 
Less: Pre-tax net impact of LPT  (318)  (266)  (800)  (970)
Adjusted losses and LAE $170,839  $138,802  $474,289  $378,811 
         
Loss ratio  63.3%  61.0%  62.0%  62.5%
Less: net impact of LPT (0.1)% (0.1)% (0.1)% (0.2)%
Adjusted loss ratio  63.4%  61.1%  62.1%  62.7%
         
Combined ratio  92.2%  90.2%  90.9%  90.8%
Less: net impact of LPT (0.1)% (0.1)% (0.1)% (0.2)%
Adjusted combined ratio  92.3%  90.3%  91.0%  91.0%
         


Tangible Stockholders’ Equity – We define tangible stockholders’ equity as stockholders’ equity less goodwill and intangible assets. Our definition of tangible stockholders’ equity may not be comparable to that of other companies and should not be viewed as a substitute for stockholders’ equity calculated in accordance with GAAP. We use tangible stockholders’ equity internally to evaluate the strength of our balance sheet and to compare returns relative to this measure.

($ in thousands) September 30, December 31,
(unaudited) 2024 2023 2023
Stockholders' equity $797,507 $535,397 $661,031
Less: Goodwill and intangible assets  87,607  88,808  88,435
Tangible stockholders' equity $709,900 $446,589 $572,596
       


Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.
Gross Written Premiums by Underwriting Division (Unaudited)

  Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
($ in thousands) 2024 2023 % Change 2024 2023 % Change
Global Property & Agriculture $54,360 $48,775 11.5% $279,721 $247,195 13.2%
Industry Solutions  74,089  79,798 (7.2)%  236,460  226,680 4.3%
Captives  53,630  41,886 28.0%  184,137  127,249 44.7%
Programs  54,434  41,735 30.4%  166,256  143,032 16.2%
Transactional E&S  44,885  30,699 46.2%  132,791  90,948 46.0%
Accident & Health  43,490  39,554 10.0%  128,479  112,819 13.9%
Professional Lines  40,310  48,259 (16.5)%  120,655  114,420 5.4%
Surety  34,816  24,977 39.4%  106,395  75,899 40.2%
Total gross written premiums(1) $400,014 $355,683 12.5% $1,354,894 $1,138,242 19.0%
(1) Excludes exited business