Hiscox Reports Record Full-Year Results for 2025 with 20% Dividend Increase and $300m Share Buyback

UK delivered 8.4% growth, with art and private client enjoying six straight quarters of double-digit gains. Europe grew 6.1% with strong contributions from Germany and France. The US Retail engine is rebuilding nicely: digital partners and direct grew 7.0% and broker ICWP turned positive, helped by the Corix acquisition and appetite expansion into life sciences and tech start-ups.

Big-ticket strategy: innovate through the cycle

London Market navigates softer rates

ICWP ticked up to $1,249.6 million. While competition is biting in major property and parts of casualty (D&O and cyber down 8% and 7% on price), Hiscox leaned into niches where it has an edge. AI-augmented underwriting enabled moves into US middle market property and SME cargo, offsetting deliberate pullbacks elsewhere. Cumulative rate is still up 67% since 2018, so the book remains well rated.

Reinsurance: still profitable as the market eases

Reinsurance ICWP rose to $1,094.6 million with net premium up 7.9% to $538.7 million. Competition increased, especially in property catastrophe, with rates down 13% at January 2026 renewals. Even so, management says the portfolio remains rate adequate after an 83% cumulative increase since 2018. ILS assets under management reached $1.5 billion on 1 January 2026, and fee income was $109.4 million – a valuable, capital-light contributor.

Investments, capital and balance sheet: robust and liquid

Investment income stepped up to a record $442.7 million, a 5.1% return, as falling government bond yields and tighter spreads boosted fixed income. Invested assets grew to $9.2 billion with over 90% in cash and investment-grade bonds; the reinvestment yield was 4.0% at year-end.

Capital remains strong. BSCR was 233% at December 2025 even after $425 million returned during the year; post the new $300 million buyback and final dividend, it is estimated at 211% – above the 190%-200% target. Liquidity is healthy with over $1 billion of fungible assets, and leverage is 17.4%.

Shareholder returns: meaningfully higher

• Final dividend of 35.9¢ per share (2024: 29.9¢) – up 20% for a second year.
• Total dividend for 2025: 50.3¢ per share (2024: 43.1¢).
• New $300 million buyback, taking announced returns via dividends and buybacks over the last three years to over $1.1 billion.

Net asset value per share increased 12.3% to 1,220.0¢, helped by profits and investment gains.

Change programme and tech: costs down, capacity up

The company’s change programme delivered a $29 million P&L benefit in 2025, with guidance reaffirmed for $75 million in 2026 and $200 million from 2028 and onwards. Spend to achieve in 2026 is expected to be $75 million. Efforts include supplier consolidation, a new procurement platform, a multi-year Google Cloud collaboration, and selective insourcing/outsourcing to boost productivity.

Generative AI is moving from trials to production: agentic AI is being deployed across customer sales and claims in Retail, while London Market has pioneered AI-augmented underwriting at Lloyd’s. These are the sorts of initiatives that can support sustained operating leverage.

Tax and EPS: a small drag to note

Earnings per share edged down to 180.7¢ (2024: 183.2¢) despite record profits, mainly because the effective tax rate rose to 17.6% following the introduction of Bermuda’s 15% corporate income tax. Guidance for the effective tax rate is 15%-20% going forward. Adjusted operating EPS was broadly flat at 183.9¢ (2024: 184.4¢).

My take: reasons to be upbeat, with a few watchpoints

• Positive: best underwriting margin in a decade and record investment income – a powerful combination. Reserve strength looks healthy, with an 86% confidence level and sizeable releases.
• Positive: capital returns are material and ongoing, while solvency remains comfortably above target even post buyback.
• Positive: Retail growth engine has clear line of sight to accelerate to 8.0% in 2026 and towards double-digit in 2028, with tech and distribution tailwinds.
• Watch: rate softening in London Market and reinsurance will need continued cycle management and innovation to protect margins.
• Watch: prior-year releases were large this year; they will not be this supportive every year.
• Watch: tax changes are a structural headwind to ROE (2025 ROE 17.1%, down from 19.8%), though still solid.

What to look for next

• Delivery of the $75 million 2026 change programme benefit and admin expense ratio progress.
• Retail growth trending to 8.0% in 2026 and early signs toward double-digit in 2028.
• Loss activity through the 2026 hurricane season given steady catastrophe exposure in Hiscox Re.
• Continued fee income growth from ILS and quota-share partnerships.
• Capital deployment pace between buybacks and underwriting as pricing moves.

Bottom line

Another high-quality year from Hiscox: record profits, best-in-decade underwriting margin, and confident capital returns. The cycle is softening in places, but the company is playing offence with technology, distribution and disciplined underwriting. For income and total-return investors, a 20% higher dividend alongside a fresh $300 million buyback is exactly the sort of confidence signal you want to see.