RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. RNR reported first-quarter 2026 operating income of $13.75 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 24.2%. The bottom line improved from the year-ago quarter’s operating loss of $1.49.
Total operating revenues declined 16.6% year over year to $2.6 billion. The top line missed the consensus mark by 10.6%.
The quarterly earnings were aided by a decline in expenses and strong underwriting performance in both segments. Improved combined ratio and fee income also contributed to the upside. However, the upside was partly offset by lower net premiums earned across both segments.
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. Quote
RenaissanceRe’s Quarterly Operational Update
Gross premiums written of $3.5 billion tumbled 16.3% year over year and missed our estimate of $4 billion.
Net premiums earned fell 19.7% year over year to $2.2 billion. The metric fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate and our estimate of $2.5 billion.
Net investment income of $420.5 million advanced 3.7% year over year in the quarter under review on the back of increased average invested assets and reallocation of the portfolio. The metric missed the consensus mark of $446.6 million and our estimate of $446.2 million. Fee income of $94.1 million increased more than threefold year over year.
Total expenses came in at $1.6 billion, which dropped 53.5% year over year and came lower than our estimate of $2.2 billion. The year-over-year decrease resulted from a decline in net claims and claim expenses incurred, acquisition costs and operational expenses.
RenaissanceRe’s underwriting income increased to $588.8 million from the prior-year quarter’s loss of $770.6 million. The combined ratio of 73% improved from 128.3% a year ago.
Book value per common share was $250.48 as of March 31, 2026, up 27.7% year over year. Annualized operating return on average common equity improved to 22.3% year over year from negative 2.9%.
RenaissanceRe’s Q1 Segmental Update
Property Segment
The segment’s gross premiums written declined 19.9% year over year to $1.7 billion in the first quarter, lower than our estimate of $2.1 billion.
Net premiums earned of $900.7 million slid 27.8% year over year. The reported figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1 billion and our estimate of $1.1 billion.
It generated an underwriting income of $593.9 million, which improved from the loss of $607.2 billion a year ago. The combined ratio improved to 33% from 147.1% in the prior-year quarter.
Casualty & Specialty Segment
The unit recorded gross premiums written of $1.8 billion in the quarter under review, which decreased 12.5% year over year and came lower than our estimate of $2 billion. The metric was hurt by reduced premiums derived from the general casualty and other specialty lines of business.
Net premiums earned tumbled 12.9% year over year to $1.3 billion. The reported figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.5 billion and our estimate of $1.4 billion.
The segment incurred an underwriting loss of $5.1 million, narrower than the prior-year quarter’s loss of $163.4 million. The combined ratio improved to 100.4% from 111.1% a year ago.
RenaissanceRe’s Financial Position (As of March 31, 2026)
RenaissanceRe exited the first quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1.6 billion, which fell 9.7% from the 2025-end level.
Total assets of $53.7 billion decreased 0.2% from the figure at 2025-end.
Debt amounted to $2.3 billion, inching up marginally from the figure as of Dec. 31, 2025.
Total shareholders’ equity of $11.5 billion fell 0.8% from the 2025-end level.
RenaissanceRe’s Share Repurchase Update
RenaissanceRe bought back common shares worth around $352.5 million in the first quarter. From April 1, 2026, to April 24, additional share repurchases of $104.8 million were made.
RNR’s Zacks Rank
RenaissanceRe currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Key Picks
Some top-ranked stocks in the broader Finance space are Cboe Global Markets, Inc. CBOE, Marex Group plc MRX and Heritage Insurance Holdings Inc. HRTG, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cboe Global Markets’ current-quarter earnings of $3.33 per share has witnessed two upward revisions in the past seven days, against no movement in the opposite direction. Cboe Global Markets beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 4.4%. The consensus estimate for current-quarter revenues is pegged at $688.4 million, suggesting 21.8% year-over-year growth.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Marex Group’s current-quarter earnings of $1.30 per share has witnessed one upward revision in the past 30 days, against no movement in the opposite direction. Marex Group beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 6.8%. The consensus estimate for current-quarter revenues is pegged at $687 million, suggesting 47% year-over-year growth.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Heritage Insurance’s current-quarter earnings of $1.53 per share has witnessed one upward revision in the past 60 days, against one movement in the opposite direction. Heritage Insurance beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 101.7%. The consensus estimate for current-quarter revenues is pegged at $215.9 million, suggesting 2.1% year-over-year growth.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).