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James River Group Holdings Reports 2016 Third Quarter Results

November 2, 2016 4:06 PM

EARNINGS PER SHARE OF $0.71 PER DILUTED SHARE_____________________________________________

NET OPERATING EARNINGS PER SHARE OF $0.72 PER DILUTED SHARE_________________________________________

12.7% AND 12.6% GROWTH IN NET INCOME AND OPERATING EARNINGS_____________________________________________

21.4% GROWTH IN E&S SEGMENT GROSS WRITTEN PREMIUMS_____________________________________________

SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN SPECIALTY ADMITTED SEGMENT GROSS WRITTEN PREMIUMS_____________________________________________

INCREASES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND TO $0.30 PER SHARE _____________________________________________

DECLARES A $1.35 PER SHARE SPECIAL DIVIDEND_____________________________________________

PEMBROKE, Bermuda, Nov. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- James River Group Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: JRVR) today announced financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016.

J. Adam Abram, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of James River Group Holdings, Ltd. commented, “The combination of underwriting focus, expense discipline and new product development is continuing to produce strong returns for our Company. As a result, we delivered a 93.7% combined ratio for the quarter with a 3.1% increase in tangible equity per share. Our low volatility model continues to generate consistent returns.”

“Our profitable growth permitted our Board to increase our quarterly dividend to $0.30 per share and to supplement this quarter’s dividend with an additional special dividend of $1.35 per share to be paid in the fourth quarter.”

Significant factors for the third quarter of 2016 include:

Three Months Ended September 30,
($ in thousands) 2016 2015 Change
Excess and Surplus Lines$99,882 $82,249 21.4%
Specialty Admitted Insurance 56,119 22,898 145.1%
Casualty Reinsurance 104,165 43,089 141.7%
$260,166 $148,236 75.5%
Three Months Ended September 30,
($ in thousands) 2016 2015 Change
Excess and Surplus Lines$86,193 $68,731 25.4%
Specialty Admitted Insurance 14,774 11,110 33.0%
Casualty Reinsurance 104,174 43,087 141.8%
$205,141 $122,928 66.9%

Significant factors for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 include:

Nine Months Ended September 30,
($ in thousands) 2016 % of Total 2015 % of Total Change
Excess and Surplus Lines$279,417 49.6% $235,384 50.8% 18.7%
Specialty Admitted Insurance 119,007 21.1% 61,755 13.3% 92.7%
Casualty Reinsurance 165,484 29.3% 166,366 35.9% (0.5)%
$563,908 100.0% $463,505 100.0% 21.7%
Nine Months Ended September 30,
($ in thousands) 2016 % of Total 2015 % of Total Change
Excess and Surplus Lines$239,618 53.8% $191,951 49.2% 24.8%
Specialty Admitted Insurance 39,499 8.9% 31,751 8.1% 24.4%
Casualty Reinsurance 165,983 37.3% 166,699 42.7% (0.4)%
$445,100 100.0% $390,401 100.0% 14.0%

The combined ratio for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 was 93.7% which compares to 89.0% in the prior year. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, our combined ratio was 95.2% which compares to 94.6% in the prior year.

The loss ratio for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 was 62.6% which compares to 54.4% in the prior year. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the loss ratio was 63.3% compared to 60.5% in the prior year. The increase in the loss ratio for the quarter was due to less favorable reserve development as explained in the paragraph below, as well as higher accident year loss picks for newer business lines such as commercial auto, where we have a higher initial loss pick but also a lower expense ratio than our Excess and Surplus Lines Segment as a whole. The increase in the loss ratio for the year to date was also primarily due to the higher initial loss picks for newer business lines, which have the aforementioned lower expense ratio.

Results for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 include favorable prior year reserve development of $5.3 million, representing 4.0 combined ratio points, compared to favorable reserve development of $9.6 million in the third quarter of 2015, representing 7.8 combined ratio points. After-tax, favorable reserve development for the quarter was $4.6 million ($8.3 million in the prior year). Year-to-date, 2016 includes favorable prior year reserve development of $14.7 million ($13.0 million on an after-tax basis) representing 4.0 combined ratio points. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, favorable reserve development was $14.6 million ($12.4 million on an after-tax basis) representing 4.2 combined ratio points. Of note are the percentage of net IBNR to total reserves, which grew from 68.0% at December 31, 2015 to 69.0% at September 30, 2016, and the accident year loss ratio, which increased from 64.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 to 67.3% for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

The pre-tax reserve development by segment was as follows:

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 Change 2016 2015 Change
(in thousands)
Excess and Surplus Lines$5,774 $10,073 $(4,299) $13,778 $18,447 $(4,669)
Specialty Admitted Insurance 1,571 1,970 (399) 2,499 2,166 333
Casualty Reinsurance (2,012) (2,458) 446 (1,529) (6,021) 4,492
$5,333 $9,585 $(4,252) $14,748 $14,592 $156

The expense ratio for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 was 31.1% which compares to 34.7% in the prior year. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, our expense ratio was 31.9% which compares to 34.1% in the prior year. The downward trend in our expense ratio is a result of scale, increasing fee income, and the lower expense ratio for some of our new business lines as mentioned above.

Tangible equity value increased 3.1% for the third quarter of 2016 from $508.8 million at June 30, 2016 to $524.9 million at September 30, 2016. The increase primarily reflects net income of $21.4 million offset by $1.7 million in other comprehensive loss and $5.9 million of dividends during the third quarter of 2016. Tangible equity per share was $18.03 at September 30, 2016.

On a year-to-date basis, tangible equity increased 14.2% from $459.7 million at December 31, 2015 to $524.9 million at September 30, 2016, resulting primarily from $48.8 million of net income and $26.7 million of other comprehensive income offset by $17.6 million of dividends.

Net investment income for the third quarter of 2016 was $15.8 million which compares to $9.5 million for the same period in 2015. On a year-to-date basis, net investment income for 2016 was $38.6 million which compares to $34.5 million for the same period in 2015. The details of the change in our net investment income are as follows:

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 % Change 2016 2015 % Change
($ in thousands)
Renewable Energy Investments$2,745 $(659) - $1,976 $3,956 (50.1)%
Other Private Investments 2,034 32 - 4,491 1,628 175.9%
All Other Net Investment Income 11,018 10,137 8.7% 32,155 28,912 11.2%
Total Net Investment Income$15,797 $9,510 66.1% $38,622 $34,496 12.0%

Our annualized gross investment yield on average fixed maturity securities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 was 3.4% for both periods and the average duration of our portfolio was 3.6 years at the quarter-end.

During the third quarter, we recognized $210,000 of pre-tax net realized gains ($17,000 of losses in the same period in 2015). Year-to-date, we have recognized $2.4 million in pre-tax net realized gains ($2.5 million of realized losses in the same period in 2015).

Generally, our effective tax rate fluctuates from period to period based on the relative mix of income reported by country and the respective tax rates imposed by each tax jurisdiction. Our tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 was 4.1% and 9.8%, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, our tax rate was 6.5% and 9.4%, respectively. The tax rate in the third quarter of 2016 was favorably impacted by higher than expected deductions on certain compensation expense items and the tax jurisdictions where we earned our profits.

Dividend

The Company announced that its Board of Directors had increased its cash dividend to $0.30 per common share. This dividend is payable on Thursday, December 29, 2016 to all shareholders of record on Friday, December 16, 2016.

Special Dividend

The Company also announced that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $1.35 per common share. This dividend is payable on Thursday, December 29, 2016 to all shareholders of record on Friday, December 16, 2016.

Guidance

The Company has reaffirmed its guidance to achieve a 12.0% or better operating return on average tangible equity and a combined ratio of between 92% and 95% for 2016.

Conference Call

James River Group Holdings will hold a conference call to discuss this press release tomorrow, November 3, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. Investors may access the conference call by dialing (877) 930-8055 Conference ID# 93514437 or via the internet by going to www.jrgh.net and clicking on the “Investor Relations” link. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes early to register and download any necessary audio software. A replay of the call will be available at both the number above and the website until 11:00am (Eastern Standard Time) on December 3, 2016.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, such forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as believe, expect, seek, may, will, intend, project, anticipate, plan, estimate or similar words. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Although it is not possible to identify all of these risks and factors, they include, among others, the following: losses exceeding reserves or amounts of reinsurance purchased by the Company; loss of key members of our management or employees; adverse economic factors; a decline in our financial strength; loss of a group of brokers or agents that generate significant portions of our business; loss of a customer that generates a significant portion of our business; additional government or market regulation; a failure of any loss limitation or exclusions employed by the Company or from emerging claim and coverage issues; losses in our investment portfolio; potentially becoming subject to United States taxation and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In presenting James River Group Holdings’ results, management has included financial measures that are not calculated under standards or rules that comprise accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). Such measures, including underwriting profit, net operating income and tangible equity are referred to as non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures may be defined or calculated differently by other companies. These measures should not be viewed as a substitute for those determined in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of such measures to the most comparable GAAP figures are included at the end of this press release.

About James River Group Holdings, Ltd.

James River Group Holdings, Ltd. is a Bermuda-based insurance holding company which owns and operates a group of specialty insurance and reinsurance companies founded by members of our management team. The Company operates in three specialty property-casualty insurance and reinsurance segments: Excess and Surplus Lines, Specialty Admitted Insurance and Casualty Reinsurance. The Company tends to focus on accounts associated with small or medium-sized businesses in each of its segments. Each of the Company’s regulated insurance subsidiaries are rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company.

Visit James River Group Holdings, Ltd. on the web at www.jrgh.net

James River Group Holdings, Ltd. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
(Unaudited)
September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015
($ in thousands, except for share amounts)
ASSETS
Invested assets:
Fixed maturity securities, available-for-sale $ 978,034 $ 899,660
Fixed maturity securities, trading 5,068 5,046
Equity securities, available-for-sale 89,708 74,111
Bank loan participations, held-for-investment 211,355 191,700
Short-term investments 23,256 19,270
Other invested assets 52,432 54,504
Total invested assets 1,359,853 1,244,291
Cash and cash equivalents 90,873 106,406
Accrued investment income 7,438 8,068
Premiums receivable and agents’ balances 280,462 176,685
Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses 156,286 131,788
Reinsurance recoverable on paid losses 6,561 11,298
Deferred policy acquisition costs 74,929 60,754
Goodwill and intangible assets 220,912 221,359
Other assets 150,597 94,848
Total assets $ 2,347,911 $ 2,055,497
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Reserve for losses and loss adjustment expenses $ 874,662 $ 785,322
Unearned premiums 414,009 301,104
Senior debt 88,300 88,300
Junior subordinated debt 104,055 104,055
Accrued expenses 35,508 29,476
Other liabilities 85,612 66,202
Total liabilities 1,602,146 1,374,459
Total shareholders’ equity 745,765 681,038
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 2,347,911 $ 2,055,497
Tangible equity $ 524,853 $ 459,679
Total shareholders’ equity per common share Outstanding $ 25.61 $ 23.53
Tangible equity per common share outstanding $ 18.03 $ 15.88
Common shares outstanding at end-of-period 29,116,496 28,941,547
Debt to total capitalization ratio 20.5% 22.0%

James River Group Holdings, Ltd. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Income Statement Data
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 2016 2015
($ in thousands, except for share data)
REVENUES
Gross written premiums$260,166 $148,236 $563,908 $463,505
Net written premiums$205,141 $122,928 $445,100 $390,401
Net earned premiums$133,149 $122,705 $368,834 $345,776
Net investment income 15,797 9,510 38,622 34,496
Net realized investment gains (losses) 210 (17) 2,376 (2,473)
Other income 2,209 925 7,373 2,018
Total revenues 151,365 133,123 417,205 379,817
EXPENSES
Losses and loss adjustment expenses 83,326 66,718 233,491 209,133
Other operating expenses 43,579 43,387 124,732 119,764
Other expenses (43) 69 36 207
Interest expense 2,079 1,769 6,294 5,217
Amortization of intangible assets 149 149 447 447
Total expenses 129,090 112,092 365,000 334,768
Income before taxes 22,275 21,031 52,205 45,049
Income tax expense (909) (2,070) (3,406) (4,222)
NET INCOME$21,366 $18,961 $48,799 $40,827
NET OPERATING INCOME$21,594 $19,177 $48,097 $43,230
EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic$0.73 $0.66 $1.68 $1.43
Diluted$0.71 $0.64 $1.64 $1.40
NET OPERATING INCOME PER SHARE
Basic$0.74 $0.67 $1.66 $1.51
Diluted$0.72 $0.65 $1.61 $1.48
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic 29,101,550 28,735,087 29,030,284 28,608,398
Diluted 29,935,152 29,418,251 29,834,686 29,244,520
Cash dividends declared per common share$0.20 $0.16 $0.60 $0.48
Ratios:
Loss ratio 62.6% 54.4% 63.3% 60.5%
Expense ratio 31.1% 34.7% 31.9% 34.1%
Combined ratio 93.7% 89.0% 95.2% 94.6%
Accident year loss ratio 66.6% 62.2% 67.3% 64.7%

James River Group Holdings, Ltd. and Subsidiaries
Segment Results
EXCESS AND SURPLUS LINES
Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 % Change 2016 2015 % Change
($ in thousands)
Gross written premiums$99,882 $82,249 21.4% $279,417 $235,384 18.7%
Net written premiums$86,193 $68,731 25.4% $239,618 $191,951 24.8%
Net earned premiums$81,672 $65,804 24.1% $217,742 $178,071 22.3%
Losses and loss adjustment expenses (50,733) (32,853) 54.4% (137,457) (101,383) 35.6%
Underwriting expenses (18,531) (15,904) 16.5% (48,890) (46,429) 5.3%
Underwriting profit (a), (b)$12,408 $17,047 (27.2)% $31,395 $30,259 3.8%
Ratios:
Loss ratio 62.1% 49.9% 63.1% 56.9%
Expense ratio 22.7% 24.2% 22.5% 26.1%
Combined ratio 84.8% 74.1% 85.6% 83.0%
Accident year loss ratio 69.2% 65.2% 69.5% 67.3%
(a) See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures."
(b) Underwriting results include fee income of $2.1 million and $(595,000) for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and $7.2 million and $1.8 million for the respective nine month periods. These amounts are included in “Other income” in our Condensed Consolidated Income Statements.

SPECIALTY ADMITTED INSURANCE
Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 % Change 2016 2015 % Change
($ in thousands)
Gross written premiums$56,119 $22,898 145.1% $119,007 $61,755 92.7%
Net written premiums$14,774 $11,110 33.0% $39,499 $31,751 24.4%
Net earned premiums$13,204 $10,743 22.9% $36,816 $30,448 20.9%
Losses and loss adjustment expenses (7,978) (6,448) 23.7% (22,058) (18,377) 20.0%
Underwriting expenses (4,524) (3,833) 18.0% (13,456) (11,565) 16.4%
Underwriting profit (a), (b)$702 $462 51.9% $1,302 $506 157.3%
Ratios:
Loss ratio 60.4% 60.0% 59.9% 60.4%
Expense ratio 34.3% 35.7% 36.5% 38.0%
Combined ratio 94.7% 95.7% 96.5% 98.3%
Accident year loss ratio 72.3% 78.4% 66.7% 67.5%
(a) See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures."
(b) Underwriting results include fee income of $938,000 and $404,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and $2.5 million and $1.2 million for the respective nine month periods. These amounts are included in “Other operating expenses” in our Condensed Consolidated Income Statements.

CASUALTY REINSURANCE
Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 % Change 2016 2015 % Change
($ in thousands)
Gross written premiums$104,165 $43,089 141.7% $165,484 $166,366 (0.5)%
Net written premiums$104,174 $43,087 141.8% $165,983 $166,699 (0.4)%
Net earned premiums$38,273 $46,158 (17.1)% $114,276 $137,257 (16.7)%
Losses and loss adjustment expenses (24,615) (27,417) (10.2)% (73,976) (89,373) (17.2)%
Underwriting expenses (13,525) (18,465) (26.8)% (39,627) (46,973) (15.6)%
Underwriting profit (a)$133 $276 (51.8)% $673 $911 (26.1)%
Ratios:
Loss ratio 64.3% 59.4% 64.7% 65.1%
Expense ratio 35.3% 40.0% 34.7% 34.2%
Combined ratio 99.7% 99.4% 99.4% 99.3%
Accident year loss ratio 59.1% 54.1% 63.4% 60.7%
(a) See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures."

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES

Underwriting Profit

The following table reconciles the underwriting profit by individual operating segment and of the whole Company to consolidated income before taxes. We believe that these measures are useful to investors in evaluating the performance of our Company and its operating segments because our objective is to consistently earn underwriting profits. We evaluate the performance of our operating segments and allocate resources based primarily on the underwriting profit of operating segments. Our definition of underwriting profit of operating segments and underwriting profit may not be comparable to that of other companies.

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015 2016 2015
($ in thousands)
Underwriting profit of the operating segments:
Excess and Surplus Lines$12,408 $17,047 $31,395 $30,259
Specialty Admitted Insurance 702 462 1,302 506
Casualty Reinsurance 133 276 673 911
Total underwriting profit of operating segments 13,243 17,785 33,370 31,676
Other operating expenses of the Corporate and Other segment (4,870) (4,324) (15,597) (12,958)
Underwriting profit (a) 8,373 13,461 17,773 18,718
Net investment income 15,797 9,510 38,622 34,496
Net realized investment gains (losses) 210 (17) 2,376 (2,473)
Other income and expenses 123 (5) 175 (28)
Interest expense (2,079) (1,769) (6,294) (5,217)
Amortization of intangible assets (149) (149) (447) (447)
Consolidated income before taxes$22,275 $21,031 $52,205 $45,049
(a) Included in underwriting results for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 is fee income of $3.1 million and $(191,000) respectively, and $9.7 million and $3.1 million for the respective nine month periods.

Net Operating Income

We define net operating income as net income excluding net realized investment gains and losses, expenses related to due diligence for various merger and acquisition activities, costs associated with our initial public offering, severance costs associated with terminated employees, impairment charges on goodwill and intangible assets and gains on extinguishment of debt. We use net 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. Net operating income should not be viewed as a substitute for net income calculated in accordance with GAAP, and our definition of net operating income may not be comparable to that of other companies.

Our income before taxes and net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, reconciles to our net operating income as follows:

Three Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015
Income Before Taxes Net Income Income Before Taxes Net Income
($ in thousands)
Income as reported$22,275 $21,366 $21,031 $18,961
Net realized investment (gains) losses (210) 56 17 63
Other expenses (43) (28) 69 45
Interest expense on leased building the Company is deemed to own for accounting purposes 308 200 166 108
Net operating income$22,330 $21,594 $21,283 $19,177

Nine Months Ended September 30,
2016 2015
Income Before Taxes Net Income Income Before Taxes Net Income
($ in thousands)
Income as reported$52,205 $48,799 $45,049 $40,827
Net realized investment (gains) losses (2,376) (1,508) 2,473 1,946
Other expenses 36 91 207 135
Interest expense on leased building the Company is deemed to own for accounting purposes 1,100 715 496 322
Net operating income$50,965 $48,097 $48,225 $43,230

Tangible Equity and Tangible Equity per Share

We define tangible equity as shareholders’ equity less goodwill and intangible assets (net of amortization). Our definition of tangible equity may not be comparable to that of other companies, and it should not be viewed as a substitute for shareholders’ equity calculated in accordance with GAAP. We use tangible equity internally to evaluate the strength of our balance sheet and to compare returns relative to this measure. The following table reconciles shareholders’ equity to tangible equity for September 30, 2016, June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

September 30, 2016 June 30, 2016 December 31, 2015
($ in thousands, except for share data)Equity Equity per share Equity Equity per share Equity Equity per share
Shareholders' equity$745,765 $25.61 $729,898 $25.09 $681,038 $23.53
Goodwill and intangible assets 220,912 7.58 221,061 7.60 221,359 7.65
Tangible equity$524,853 $18.03 $508,837 $17.49 $459,679 $15.88

For more information contact:

Robert Myron
President and Chief Operating Officer
441-278-4583
[email protected]

Source: James River Group Holdings, Ltd.

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