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Kinsale Capital Group, Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 23 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Second-quarter net income rose 34%: Net income was $175.9 million, or $7.72 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2026, against $134.1 million, or $5.76 per diluted share, a year earlier. Source
  • Operating earnings rose 15.9%: Net operating earnings were $126.2 million, or $5.54 per diluted share, against $111.4 million, or $4.78 per diluted share, a year earlier. The company describes this as a non-GAAP measure. Source
  • Underwriting income and combined ratio: Underwriting income was $105.4 million in the second quarter, against $95.5 million a year earlier, with a combined ratio of 75.5% compared with 75.8%. Source
  • Commercial Property premiums fell sharply: Commercial Property Division premiums declined 32.7% in the second quarter and 30.9% in the first half, which the company attributed to heightened competition. Source
  • Written premiums fell in quarter: Gross written premiums fell 5.0% to $527.6 million in the second quarter, and net written premiums fell 1.4% to $452.5 million. Source
  • Favorable prior-year reserve development: Favorable development of prior accident-year loss reserves was $19.4 million in the second quarter, or 4.5 points, compared with $15.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Quarterly buybacks of $100 million: The company repurchased 321,055 shares in the second quarter at an average price of $311.47, for a total cost of $100.0 million. Source

“Our business continues to generate consistent and growing underwriting profits and investment income.”

Michael P. Kehoe, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Share repurchase capacity SourceAs of July 2026$337.5 million remaining capacityRaised from $187.5 million remaining at March 31, 2026

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The Board approved an additional $250 million share repurchase authorization in July 2026, bringing remaining capacity to $337.5 million, up from $187.5 million at March 31, 2026. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Second-quarter net income rose 34%: Net income was $175.9 million, or $7.72 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2026, against $134.1 million, or $5.76 per diluted share, a year earlier. Source
  • Operating earnings rose 15.9%: Net operating earnings were $126.2 million, or $5.54 per diluted share, against $111.4 million, or $4.78 per diluted share, a year earlier. The company describes this as a non-GAAP measure. Source
  • First-half net income and EPS rose: First-half net income was $288.4 million, or $12.58 per diluted share, compared with $223.3 million, or $9.59 per diluted share, in the first half of 2025. Source
  • Underwriting income and combined ratio: Underwriting income was $105.4 million in the second quarter, against $95.5 million a year earlier, with a combined ratio of 75.5% compared with 75.8%. Source
  • Effective tax rate eased: The effective tax rate for the six months was 19.8%, against 20.4% a year earlier. Source

Segments and divisions

  • Commercial Property premiums fell sharply: Commercial Property Division premiums declined 32.7% in the second quarter and 30.9% in the first half, which the company attributed to heightened competition. Source
  • Other divisions grew: Excluding Commercial Property, gross written premiums rose 3.7% in the second quarter and 4.8% in the first half, compared with the prior-year periods. Source
  • First-half net written premiums rose: First-half net written premiums were $855.7 million, against $840.4 million in the first half of 2025. Source

“We are generating significant operating cash flows resulting in excess capital and are pleased to report an additional share repurchase authorization of $250 million.”

Michael P. Kehoe, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Demand and the order book

  • Written premiums fell in quarter: Gross written premiums fell 5.0% to $527.6 million in the second quarter, and net written premiums fell 1.4% to $452.5 million. Source
  • First-half written premiums declined: Gross written premiums for the first half were $1,009.6 million, down 2.9% from $1,039.8 million in the first half of 2025. Source
  • Submission flow and bound accounts: Management cited submission flow across most divisions and an increase in bound accounts as factors in premium growth outside Commercial Property. Source

Losses, expenses and margins

  • Loss and expense ratios, second quarter: The loss ratio was 53.8% against 55.1%, and the expense ratio was 21.7% against 20.7% a year earlier. Source
  • Loss and expense ratios, first half: For the first half, the loss ratio was 55.0% against 58.5%, and the expense ratio was 21.4% against 20.3%. Source
  • Lower ceding commissions raised expense ratio: The company attributed the expense ratio increase to lower ceding commissions, which resulted from higher retention on its reinsurance treaties. Source
  • Economic effect more than offset: Management said the economic effect of lower ceding commissions was more than offset by retained incremental underwriting margin and higher investment income. Source
  • Favorable prior-year reserve development: Favorable development of prior accident-year loss reserves was $19.4 million in the second quarter, or 4.5 points, compared with $15.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • 2025 catastrophe losses in first half: The first-half 2025 loss ratio included 3.4 points of net catastrophe losses, primarily related to the Palisades Fire. Source

“Our focus remains on delivering sustainable long-term value creation for stockholders as we execute our strategy of disciplined underwriting and technology-enabled low costs.”

Michael P. Kehoe, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Investment income and portfolio

  • Investment income up 19.9%: Net investment income was $55.7 million in the second quarter, up from $46.5 million. Management attributed the rise to portfolio growth from operating cash flow. Source
  • Gross investment return edged up: The annualized gross investment return was 4.5% for the first half of 2026, against 4.3% for the first half of 2025. Source
  • Duration lengthened to 4.3 years: Weighted average duration of the fixed-maturity portfolio, including cash equivalents, was 4.3 years at June 30, 2026, against 4.0 years at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Cash and invested assets reached $5.5 billion: Cash and invested assets totaled $5.5 billion at June 30, 2026, compared with $5.2 billion at December 31, 2025. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Quarterly buybacks of $100 million: The company repurchased 321,055 shares in the second quarter at an average price of $311.47, for a total cost of $100.0 million. Source
  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.25: A cash dividend of $0.25 per share, a total distribution of $5.7 million, was declared and paid in the second quarter, the same per-share amount as the first quarter. Source
  • Book value per share increased: Book value per share was $89.34 at June 30, 2026, up from $84.66 at December 31, 2025, with stockholders' equity of $2.0 billion. Source
  • Operating return on equity eased: Annualized operating return on equity was 24.4% for the first half, against 24.7% a year earlier. The company attributed the decrease to higher average equity. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Combined ratio Source75.5% second quarter; 76.4% first half
Net premiums written Source$452.5 million second quarter; $855.7 million first half
Prior-year reserve development Source$38.1 million favorable first half (4.5 points)
Catastrophe losses Source$6,989 thousand current accident year first half (0.8 points)
Investment income Source$55.7 million second quarter; $111.2 million first half
Book value per share Source$89.34 at June 30, 2026

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management named heightened competition as the reason average premium per policy fell across the business. Source
  • External: Current accident-year catastrophe losses were $5,353 thousand in the second quarter, or 1.3 points of the loss ratio. 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.