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Assured Guaranty Ltd.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 lowered. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Adjusted operating income fell year over year: Adjusted operating income was $115 million, or $2.50 per diluted share, against $162 million, or $3.18, a year earlier. Weighted average diluted shares fell to 45.4 million from 50.7 million. Source
  • GAAP net income fell to $88 million: Net income attributable to AGL was $88 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, against $176 million, or $3.44 per diluted share, in first quarter 2025. Source
  • Gross written premiums doubled: Gross written premiums were $70 million against $35 million, and PVP was $73 million against $39 million. Production rose in U.S. public finance, non-U.S. public finance and structured finance. Source
  • Net economic loss development was $44 million: Net expected loss to be paid rose from $101 million to $141 million, with $44 million of net economic loss development, primarily on Brightline Trains Florida and PREPA. Source
  • ABV per share rose to $188.74: ABV per share rose to $188.74 from $186.43, helped by adjusted operating income, new business production, share repurchases and the Assured Life Re acquisition, less dividends. Source
  • Capital returned $93 million: The company returned $93 million to shareholders in the quarter: $75 million through share repurchases and $18 million through dividends. Source
  • Repurchase target cut to $30 million: Management plans to reduce repurchases to a target of $30 million over the next three months, to use capital for growth in financial guaranty and annuity reinsurance. Source
  • Entered annuity reinsurance: The company entered annuity reinsurance on January 21, 2026 by acquiring Warwick Re, renamed Assured Life Reinsurance Ltd., and added an Annuity Reinsurance segment. Source

“In new business production, year-over-year, we doubled first quarter GWP to $70 million and nearly doubled first quarter PVP to $73 million,”

Dominic Frederico, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Share repurchases Sourcenext three months (from May 2026)$30 millionLowered

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: Share repurchase target reduced to $30 million over the next three months. The documents do not state the prior plan amount. Source
  • New: Entry into annuity reinsurance through the acquisition of Warwick Re, renamed Assured Life Reinsurance Ltd., with a new Annuity Reinsurance segment. Source
  • New: First primary guarantee in the social housing market within the European Union, a French transaction written in the quarter. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Adjusted operating income fell year over year: Adjusted operating income was $115 million, or $2.50 per diluted share, against $162 million, or $3.18, a year earlier. Weighted average diluted shares fell to 45.4 million from 50.7 million. Source
  • GAAP net income fell to $88 million: Net income attributable to AGL was $88 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, against $176 million, or $3.44 per diluted share, in first quarter 2025. Source
  • Prior-year LBIE gain shaped comparison: First quarter 2025 included a $103 million pre-tax gain from resolving LBIE litigation, which the company cited as the main driver of the segment decline. Source
  • Non-GAAP reconciliation excludes FX losses: The reconciliation excludes foreign exchange remeasurement losses of $18 million and realized investment losses of $15 million, and removes a $6 million gain on committed capital securities. Source

Segments and regions

  • Financial Guaranty earnings declined: Financial Guaranty adjusted operating income was $102 million against $168 million. Equity in earnings of investees fell $22 million on CLO fund losses, partly offset by a $33 million tax benefit. Source
  • Asset management income rose: Asset management adjusted operating income was $44 million against $12 million. The result included the carried interest payout from a single-asset fund sale. Source
  • Annuity segment added with no income: The Annuity Reinsurance segment, consolidated from January 21, 2026, reported $10 million of segment revenues, $11 million of expenses and no adjusted operating income. Source
  • Corporate loss narrowed on acquisition gain: The Corporate division adjusted operating loss was $15 million against $20 million. It included a provisional $6 million bargain purchase gain and $4 million of acquisition expenses from the Assured Life Re deal. Source

“Shareholders’ equity per share of $124.28 on March 31 remained near its high, set three months earlier, and we reached record per-share valuations of $128.61 for adjusted operating shareholders’ equity and $188.74 for adjusted book value.”

Dominic Frederico, President and CEO

Products and customers

  • Gross written premiums doubled: Gross written premiums were $70 million against $35 million, and PVP was $73 million against $39 million. Production rose in U.S. public finance, non-U.S. public finance and structured finance. Source
  • U.S. public finance drove growth: U.S. public finance GWP and PVP were $48 million each, close to double the prior year, mainly on healthcare and infrastructure transactions written in the quarter. Source
  • Primary share of municipal par fell: Primary par written was 53% of insured U.S. municipal par sold, against 64% a year earlier. Penetration of all municipal issuance was 3.2%, against 3.9%. Source
  • Gross par written figures differ: The narrative says gross par written decreased, but the table shows total gross par written of $7,511 million against $5,002 million. U.S. public finance par was $3,957 million against $4,269 million. Source
  • First EU social housing guarantee: Non-U.S. public finance included a U.K. secondary local authority deal, annual liquidity facility extensions and a French social housing deal, the company's first primary guarantee in that market in the EU. Source
  • Structured finance came from fund finance: Structured finance GWP and PVP were primarily from fund finance and financial guarantees written for life insurance capital management purposes. Source

Losses, costs and margins

  • Public finance loss expense fell: Total loss expense was $17 million against a $23 million benefit. Public finance loss expense was $19 million against $42 million, on lower PREPA and certain healthcare losses. Source
  • Prior-year LBIE benefit in comparison: First quarter 2025 other structured finance loss expense included a $63 million benefit from the LBIE resolution, a benefit shown only in the prior-year period. Source
  • Net economic loss development was $44 million: Net expected loss to be paid rose from $101 million to $141 million, with $44 million of net economic loss development, primarily on Brightline Trains Florida and PREPA. Source
  • Premium accelerations fell sharply: Net earned premiums and credit derivative revenues were $86 million against $134 million. Accelerations and modifications were negative $5 million, against $45 million a year earlier. Source
  • CLO fund losses cut investee earnings: Equity in earnings of investees was $8 million against $30 million, mainly on $11 million of mark-to-market losses on CLO investments. Source

“During the quarter, Assured Guaranty produced $1.91 of net income per share, and adjusted operating income per share came in at $2.50.”

Dominic Frederico, President and CEO

Investments and balance sheet

  • Investment yield edged higher: Pre-tax book yield on available-for-sale and short-term securities was 4.78% at March 31, 2026, against 4.58% a year earlier, from a shift to higher-yielding corporate securities. Source
  • Alternative investments total $965 million: Alternative investments were $965 million at March 31, 2026, of which $762 million sat in Financial Guaranty, mainly CLO equity tranches. Inception-to-date IRR was 12%. Source
  • Realized losses on CLO equity tranches: Realized investment losses of $15 million were mainly credit losses on CLO equity tranches. Source
  • Equity per share fell on unrealized losses: Shareholders’ equity per share fell to $124.28 from $125.32, mainly from unrealized losses on the investment portfolio. The reconciliation shows a $304 million pre-tax unrealized loss. Source
  • ABV per share rose to $188.74: ABV per share rose to $188.74 from $186.43, helped by adjusted operating income, new business production, share repurchases and the Assured Life Re acquisition, less dividends. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Capital returned $93 million: The company returned $93 million to shareholders in the quarter: $75 million through share repurchases and $18 million through dividends. Source
  • Repurchase target cut to $30 million: Management plans to reduce repurchases to a target of $30 million over the next three months, to use capital for growth in financial guaranty and annuity reinsurance. Source
  • Year-to-date repurchases through May 6: Through May 6, 2026, the company repurchased 1.23 million shares for $104 million, at an average price of $84.76, excluding commissions. Source
  • Authorization remaining at May 6: $147 million remained authorized for share repurchase as of May 6, 2026. Source
  • Repurchase program since 2013: Since the 2013 program launch, the company has returned $6 billion of excess capital and repurchased 81% of shares outstanding at the program start. Source
  • Share count declined: Shares outstanding fell to 44.6 million at March 31, 2026, from 45.2 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Strategy and acquisition

  • Entered annuity reinsurance: The company entered annuity reinsurance on January 21, 2026 by acquiring Warwick Re, renamed Assured Life Reinsurance Ltd., and added an Annuity Reinsurance segment. Source
  • PRT block reserves and assets: Assured Life Re reinsures a pension risk transfer block with $475 million of future policy benefit reserves, supported by a $594 million portfolio of assets. Source
  • PRT hedges currency and inflation mismatches: Derivatives economically hedge currency, inflation and interest rate mismatches between pound sterling inflation-linked PRT liabilities and the investment portfolio. Source
  • MYGA block and funds withheld: A MYGA block carries $263 million of policyholder account value, supported by a funds withheld arrangement. The company carries a $296 million funds withheld receivable. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Public finance transactions list to post: The company plans to post a list of U.S. public finance new issues insured in first quarter 2026 by early next week. Source
  • Structured finance exposure list to post: A list of structured finance exposure as of March 31, 2026 is also planned for posting on the company website. Source
  • Assured Guaranty Inc. materials when available: Assured Guaranty Inc.'s financial supplement and fixed income presentation for the quarter will be posted when available. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Book value per share Source$124.28 shareholders’ equity per share; $188.74 ABV per share
Investment income Source$92 million net investment income

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Investee earnings may be more volatile than fixed-income investment income, because of mark-to-market changes in alternative investments. Source
  • External: Foreign exchange remeasurement of long-term premium receivables and insurance liabilities depends on pound sterling and euro moves against the dollar. Source
  • Demand: Non-U.S. public finance and structured finance business can vary from period to period because of long lead times. Source
  • Regulatory: Future repurchase amounts depend on alternative capital uses, regulatory capital, rating agency capital needs and parent-company cash. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.