Hartford, CT – The Hartford (NYSE: HIG) recently announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2022.
“Fourth quarter results were excellent contributing to an outstanding 2022 that delivered a core earnings ROE of 14.4 percent. Results reflect strong underwriting with solid premium growth across the business, excellent margins, and a significant contribution from the investment portfolio. With another quarter of strong financial performance, The Hartford continues to demonstrate the power of our strategy and superior execution,” said Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift.
Chief Financial Officer Beth Costello said, “Our P&C results for the year were excellent. Commercial Lines written premium exceeded $11 billion, up 11 percent for the year, and fourth quarter pricing in our U.S. Standard Commercial Lines book, excluding workers’ compensation, accelerated one point from the third quarter to 7.9 percent. In Personal Lines, we are driving significant rate increases to address industry-wide loss cost pressure. In Group Benefits, a core earnings margin of 6.5 percent for the year benefited from 6 percent growth in fully insured ongoing premium and a reduced impact from excess mortality. We continue to actively manage our capital and, in 2022, returned $2.1 billion to shareholders through repurchases and dividends.”
Swift continued, “I am confident that our diverse, yet complementary portfolio of businesses, underwriting expertise, distribution relationships and best in class talent will continue to drive consistent and sustainable returns. The Hartford franchise has never been better positioned to deliver industry-leading financial performance while creating value for all our stakeholders.”
Fourth quarter 2022 net income available to common stockholders was $584 million, or $1.81 per diluted share, compared to $724 million in fourth quarter 2021, primarily due to a decrease in P&C underwriting results and a decrease in net realized gains, partially offset by a reduction in excess mortality in Group Benefits and higher net investment income. Included in fourth quarter 2022 net income was a charge for a deferred gain on retroactive reinsurance of $229 million, before tax, related to asbestos and environmental reserves compared to a charge of $155 million, before tax, in fourth quarter 2021.
Fourth Quarter 2022
Fourth quarter 2022 core earnings of $746 million, or $2.31 per diluted share, increased from $697 million of core earnings in fourth quarter 2021. Contributing to the results were:
- Lower excess mortality losses in group life with $43 million, before tax, in fourth quarter 2022, compared to $161 million, before tax, in fourth quarter 2021.
- An increase in earnings generated by 8% growth in P&C earned premium and a 9% increase in Group Benefits fully insured ongoing premium.
- Net investment income of $640 million, before tax, compared to $573 million in fourth quarter 2021, driven by a higher yield on variable rate securities and reinvesting at higher rates.
- An improvement in the group disability loss ratio to 65.5% from 71.6%, driven by elevated estimated long-term disability incidence trends in fourth quarter 2021.
- Commercial Lines loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 57.4 compared to 52.2 in fourth quarter 2021, including 3.9 points of higher CATs and 2.0 points of less favorable prior accident year development (PYD). Underlying loss and loss adjustment expense ratio* improved 0.8 points, to 55.7 in fourth quarter 2022 from 56.5 in fourth quarter 2021, primarily driven by margin improvement in Global Specialty.
- P&C CAY CAT losses of $135 million, before tax, in fourth quarter 2022, including $167 million for Winter Storm Elliott in December and $68 million of favorable development on prior quarter catastrophes, compared to CAY CAT losses of $22 million in fourth quarter 2021.
- Net favorable PYD in core earnings of $46 million, before tax, in fourth quarter 2022, compared to net favorable PYD of $144 million in core earnings in fourth quarter 2021. Among other changes, net favorable PYD in fourth quarter 2022 primarily included reserve reductions in workers’ compensation, catastrophes and bond, partially offset by reserve increases in general liability and commercial auto liability.
- Personal Lines loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 74.4 compared to 65.7 in fourth quarter 2021, including 0.6 points of higher CATs and 4.2 points of favorable PYD in fourth quarter 2021. Underlying loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 71.5 in fourth quarter 2022 compared to 67.8 in fourth quarter 2021, with the increase largely due to higher severity in auto liability and physical damage, partially offset by earned pricing increases benefiting both auto and homeowners.
- An increase in the group life loss ratio apart from excess mortality driven by higher accidental death losses as compared to very favorable fourth quarter 2021 experience.
Full Year 2022
Full year 2022 net income available to common stockholders was $1.8 billion, or $5.44 per diluted share, compared to $2.3 billion in the 2021 period, primarily due to a change from net realized gains to net realized losses and a reduction in net investment income due to lower income from limited partnerships and other alternative investments (LPs), partially offset by lower excess mortality in Group Benefits and higher P&C underwriting results.
Full year 2022 core earnings of $2.5 billion, or $7.56 per diluted share, compared to $2.2 billion of core earnings in the 2021 period. Contributing to the results were:
- Lower excess mortality losses in group life, with $160 million, before tax, in 2022, compared to $583 million, before tax, in 2021.
- An increase in earnings generated by 8% growth in P&C earned premium and a 6% increase in Group Benefits fully insured ongoing premium.
- Net favorable PYD in core earnings of $193 million, before tax, in 2022, compared to net favorable PYD of $47 million in core earnings in 2021. Among other changes, net favorable PYD in 2022 primarily included reserve reductions in workers’ compensation, catastrophes, package business and bond, partially offset by reserve increases in general liability and commercial auto liability.
- Net investment income of $2.2 billion, before tax, compared to $2.3 billion in 2021, with lower LP income and a decline in valuation of equity fund investments, partially offset by a higher yield on variable rate securities and reinvesting at higher rates. LP income was $515 million, before tax, a 14.4% annualized return, in 2022, compared to LP income of $732 million, for a 31.8% annualized return, in 2021.
- An increase in insurance operating costs and other expenses in P&C and Group Benefits, primarily driven by investments in technology, an increase in staffing costs and higher performance-based commissions as well as lower doubtful accounts expense in 2021, partially offset by incremental savings from the Hartford Next program and lower direct marketing costs in Personal Lines.
- Personal Lines loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 73.4 compared to 63.1 in 2021, including 4.5 points of less favorable PYD and 1.4 points of higher CATs. Underlying loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 66.8 in 2022 compared to 62.3 in 2021, with the increase largely due to higher auto liability and physical damage severity, higher auto liability frequency, and higher non-CAT homeowners losses, partially offset by earned pricing increases.
- Commercial Lines loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 58.4 compared to 63.3 in 2021, including a change to net favorable PYD of 3.7 points and lower CATs of 1.0 point. Underlying loss and loss adjustment expense ratio improved 0.3 points, to 56.4 in 2022 from 56.7 in 2021, driven by margin improvement in Global Specialty and lower COVID-19 losses, partially offset by higher non-CAT property losses.
- P&C CAY CAT losses of $649 million, before tax, in 2022, compared to $664 million in 2021.
- Lower earnings from Hartford Funds due to a decrease in daily average assets under management.
Dec. 31, 2022, book value per diluted share of $41.53 decreased 19%, from $51.36 at Dec. 31, 2021, principally due to a change from net unrealized gains to net unrealized losses on investments within AOCI as a result of an increase in interest rates and wider credit spreads.
Book value per diluted share (excluding AOCI)* of $53.63 as of Dec. 31, 2022, increased from $50.86 at Dec. 31, 2021, as the impact from net income in excess of stockholder dividends through Dec. 31, 2022, was partially offset by the dilutive effect of share repurchases.
Net income available to common stockholders’ ROE (net income ROE) was 11.6% for the twelve-month period ending Dec. 31, 2022 compared to 13.1% from fourth quarter 2021.
Core earnings ROE for the twelve-month period ending Dec. 31, 2022, was 14.4%, an increase of 1.7 points from fourth quarter 2021 due to higher trailing 12-month core earnings.
The complete results release is available here: The Hartford Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2022 Financial Results
Source: The Hartford