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Loews Corp.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 August 2026: press release, prepared remarks. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net income rose 14 percent: Net income attributable to Loews was $444 million, or $2.16 per share, against $391 million, or $1.87 per share, a year earlier. Management said the increase came from improved results across all consolidated subsidiaries. Source
  • CNA earnings up on investment results: CNA net income attributable to Loews was $294 million versus $274 million. Core income fell to $324 million from $335 million on lower underlying underwriting results, partly offset by higher net investment income. Source
  • Hotel earnings and EBITDA rose: Loews Hotels net income was $48 million versus $28 million, and adjusted EBITDA was $137 million versus $109 million, up about 26%. Occupancy rose to 81% from 78% and average daily rates rose 7%. Source
  • Property and Casualty combined ratio rose: The combined ratio was 96.5% versus 94.1%. Management attributed the rise largely to a higher underlying loss ratio. The underlying combined ratio was 94.2% versus 91.7%. Source
  • Underlying loss ratio up on trends: The underlying loss ratio was 64.1%, unchanged from the first quarter and up 2.6 points year over year. Management cited higher loss cost trends and lower-than-expected rate in certain lines. Source
  • Book value per share rose: Book value per share was $93.52, up from $90.71 at year-end 2025. Excluding AOCI, book value per share was $99.27, up from $95.89. Source
  • Second-quarter buybacks of $146 million: Loews repurchased 1.4 million shares for $146 million in the quarter, and 1.7 million shares for $179 million since the end of 2025. Shares outstanding were 204.4 million. Source
  • Insurance industry on shakiest footing: Management said the insurance industry is on the shakiest footing among its industries, citing benign catastrophe quarters and investment yields that drew capital into the sector. Source

“All three of our consolidated subsidiaries contributed to the improvement, and overall it was a good, relatively uneventful quarter.”

Ben Tisch, CEO

What changed from last quarter

  • New: CNA increased its 2026 underlying loss picks, as discussed last quarter, because aggregate loss cost trends exceeded rate in recent quarters. Source
  • New: CNA executed a $1 billion extension trade in its long-term care portfolio, moving into higher-quality, longer-duration bonds. Source
  • New: Spire Marketing is now operating as Continuum, and its results were more than offset by acquisition-related expenses. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net income rose 14 percent: Net income attributable to Loews was $444 million, or $2.16 per share, against $391 million, or $1.87 per share, a year earlier. Management said the increase came from improved results across all consolidated subsidiaries. Source
  • All three subsidiaries contributed: Management said CNA, Boardwalk and Loews Hotels each contributed to the year-over-year improvement, and described the quarter as relatively uneventful. Source
  • Six-month net income higher: For the first six months, net income attributable to Loews was $781 million, or $3.79 per share, compared with $761 million, or $3.61 per share, in 2025. Source

Segment performance

  • CNA earnings up on investment results: CNA net income attributable to Loews was $294 million versus $274 million. Core income fell to $324 million from $335 million on lower underlying underwriting results, partly offset by higher net investment income. Source
  • Boardwalk income and EBITDA rose: Boardwalk net income was $100 million versus $88 million, and EBITDA was $279 million versus $274 million. Management attributed the gain to higher contracting rates, growth projects and product sales. Source
  • Hotel earnings and EBITDA rose: Loews Hotels net income was $48 million versus $28 million, and adjusted EBITDA was $137 million versus $109 million, up about 26%. Occupancy rose to 81% from 78% and average daily rates rose 7%. Source
  • Corporate segment essentially flat: Corporate segment net income was $2 million versus $1 million, described as essentially unchanged. For six months, corporate results declined on higher interest expense from a debt refinancing. Source

“As discussed last quarter, pricing is no longer outpacing loss cost trends across the board, and as a result, the CNA management team has certainly become more cautious, and CNA’s moderating growth speaks to that prudence.”

Ben Tisch, CEO

Premiums and new business

  • Property and Casualty premiums grew: Property and Casualty net written premiums grew 4% and net earned premiums grew 3%. Renewal premium change was 2%, and retention was 83%. Source
  • New business grew 11 percent: Management said new business grew 11% in the quarter, which it described as particularly high for the period. Source
  • Growth moderated by design: Ben Tisch said CNA has become more cautious, and its moderating growth reflects that, with pricing no longer outpacing loss cost trends across the board. Source

Loss ratios and combined ratio

  • Property and Casualty combined ratio rose: The combined ratio was 96.5% versus 94.1%. Management attributed the rise largely to a higher underlying loss ratio. The underlying combined ratio was 94.2% versus 91.7%. Source
  • Underlying loss ratio up on trends: The underlying loss ratio was 64.1%, unchanged from the first quarter and up 2.6 points year over year. Management cited higher loss cost trends and lower-than-expected rate in certain lines. Source
  • Six-month combined ratio reached 99.4%: For the first six months, the combined ratio was 99.4% versus 96.3%. Management cited the higher underlying loss ratio and unfavorable prior-year loss reserve development. Source

“While there is still ramp ahead, the direction of travel is becoming increasingly evident, and I remain very optimistic about where this business is headed over the next several years.”

Ben Tisch, CEO

Investment portfolio and income

  • Net investment income increased: Net investment income was $761 million versus $714 million. LP and common stock returns were 4.3% versus 3.6%, and the invested asset base grew by nearly $1 billion. Source
  • Investment losses narrowed: Consolidated investment losses were $5 million versus $46 million, reflecting lower losses on disposals of fixed maturity securities. Source
  • Long-term care portfolio lengthened: Management said the trades extended the long-term care portfolio duration from about 9.5 years to 10 years, and described the result as higher yield and better credit quality. Source

Capital, cash and share repurchases

  • Book value per share rose: Book value per share was $93.52, up from $90.71 at year-end 2025. Excluding AOCI, book value per share was $99.27, up from $95.89. Source
  • Second-quarter buybacks of $146 million: Loews repurchased 1.4 million shares for $146 million in the quarter, and 1.7 million shares for $179 million since the end of 2025. Shares outstanding were 204.4 million. Source
  • Parent company liquidity reported: At June 30, parent company cash and investments were $4.4 billion, against $1.8 billion of debt. Source
  • Subsidiaries paid $885 million: Year to date, Loews received $885 million from subsidiaries, including $735 million of CNA dividends with a $497 million special dividend, and $150 million of Boardwalk distributions. Source

Strategy and industry view

  • Insurance industry on shakiest footing: Management said the insurance industry is on the shakiest footing among its industries, citing benign catastrophe quarters and investment yields that drew capital into the sector. Source
  • Boardwalk focused on growth projects: Management said Boardwalk is focused on executing current growth projects and developing new ones, citing continued LNG exports, manufacturing, power demand and data center development. Source
  • Hotel investments earning their keep: Management said investments in Orlando, Arlington and existing hotels are increasingly earning returns, with more ramp still ahead. Source

Coming up, as management said on 3 August 2026

  • Boardwalk growth projects continue: Management said Boardwalk will keep executing its current growth projects while pursuing new ones. No dates were given. Source
  • Hotel ramp still ahead: Management said the hotel business has more ramp ahead, with the direction of travel becoming increasingly evident. Source
  • New projects screened for returns: Management said new Boardwalk projects will be evaluated against risk-adjusted returns, and that it continues to like what it sees. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Combined ratio Source96.5% (Q2 2026) vs 94.1% (Q2 2025)
Underlying combined ratio Source94.2% (Q2 2026) vs 91.7% (Q2 2025)
Net premiums written Source+4% (Q2 2026)
Prior-year reserve development SourceDevelopment-related items: 2.0 points (six months 2026) vs 1.2 points (six months 2025)
Catastrophe losses Source2.3 points (Q2 2026) vs 2.4 points (Q2 2025)
Investment income SourceNet investment income $761 million (Q2 2026) vs $714 million (Q2 2025)
Book value per share Source$93.52 (June 30, 2026)

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management said pricing no longer keeps pace with loss cost trends across the board, which affects CNA's underwriting results. Source
  • External: Management said capital drawn into the sector after benign catastrophe quarters could push the industry toward more aggressive behavior. Source
  • External: Management said steady growth, tight credit spreads and high asset prices make it uneasy about how business cycles might turn. Source
  • Financial: Management said tight credit spreads led it to move toward higher-quality, longer-duration bonds to reduce credit risk. Source
  • Operational: Acquisition-related expenses at the Continuum business more than offset its results in the quarter. Source
  • Financial: Higher interest expense from a recent debt refinancing lowered corporate segment results for the six months. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it increased the 2026 underlying loss picks as it had discussed last quarter. Source
  • Not stated: Management said hotel investments in Orlando, Arlington and existing properties are increasingly earning their keep. 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.