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8-K - 8-K - SAFETY INSURANCE GROUP INCa11-23535_18k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

 

GRAPHIC

 

SAFETY ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2011 RESULTS AND DECLARES THIRD QUARTER 2011 DIVIDEND

 

Boston, Massachusetts, August 3, 2011.  Safety Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAFT) today reported second quarter 2011 results.  Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 was $4.1 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to net income of $15.1 million, or $1.00 per diluted share, for the comparable 2010 period.  Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2011 was $0.1 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to $27.9 million, or $1.84 per diluted share, for the comparable 2010 period.  Safety’s book value per share decreased to $42.56 at June 30, 2011 from $43.37 at December 31, 2010.  Safety paid $0.50 per share in dividends to investors during the quarter ended June 30, 2011 compared to $0.40 per share during the comparable 2010 period.  Safety paid $1.80 per share in dividends to investors during the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

The quarter ended June 30, 2011 was marked by unusual tornado outbreaks and severe weather across Western and Central Massachusetts which caused extensive property damage.  As a result, we experienced elevated catastrophe claims activity in our personal and commercial property lines for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.  For the quarter ended June 30, 2011, loss and loss adjustment expenses incurred increased by $26.4 million, or 30.1%, to $114.2 million from $87.8 million for the comparable 2010 period.  For the six months ended June 30, 2011, loss and loss adjustment expenses incurred increased by $59.3 million, or 33.6%, to $235.8 million from $176.5 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Loss, expense, and combined ratios calculated under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 were 76.8%, 29.6%, and 106.4%, respectively, compared to 64.5%, 31.0%, and 95.5%, respectively, for the comparable 2010 period.  Loss, expense, and combined ratios calculated under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for the six months ended June 30, 2011 were 80.4%, 29.6%, and 110.0%, respectively, compared to 65.5%, 31.2%, and 96.7%, respectively, for the comparable 2010 period.  Total prior year favorable development included in the pre-tax results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2011 was $9.1 million and $18.8 million, respectively, compared to $10.0 million and $22.6 million, respectively, for the comparable 2010 periods.

 

Direct written premiums for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 increased by $12.7 million, or 7.9%, to $173.1 million from $160.4 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Direct written premiums for the six months ended June 30, 2011 increased by $22.7 million, or 7.2%, to $337.2 million from $314.5 million for the comparable 2010 period.  The 2011 increase occurred primarily in our personal automobile and homeowners business lines, which experienced increases of 2.8% and 2.3%, respectively, in average written premium per exposure and increases of 2.9% and 14.2%, respectively, in written exposures.

 

Net written premiums for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 increased by $14.2 million, or 9.3%, to $167.8 million from $153.6 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Net written premiums for the six months ended June 30, 2011 increased by $24.7 million, or 8.2%, to $325.3 million from $300.6 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Net earned premiums for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 increased by $12.6 million, or 9.2%, to $148.7 million from $136.1 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Net earned premiums for the six months ended June 30, 2011 increased by $24.0 million, or 8.9%, to $293.3 million from $269.3 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Net written and net earned premiums increased primarily due to the factors that increased direct written premiums.

 

Net investment income for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 decreased by $1.4 million, or 12.8%, to $9.5 million from $10.9 million for the comparable 2010 period.  Net investment income for the six months ended June 30, 2011 decreased by $2.0 million, or 9.3%, to $19.6 million from $21.6 million for the comparable 2010 period.  The 2011 decrease primarily resulted from lower short-term interest rates and ongoing maintenance of short duration to protect the portfolio from rising interest rates.  Net effective annualized yield on the investment portfolio decreased to 3.5% for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 from 4.1% for the comparable 2010 period.  Net effective annualized yield on the

 



 

investment portfolio decreased to 3.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2011 from 4.1% for the comparable 2010 period.  Our duration was 3.7 years at June 30, 2011, up from 3.3 years at December 31, 2010.

 

Today the Board of Directors approved and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share on the issued and outstanding common stock, payable on September 15, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 1, 2011.

 

About Safety:  Safety Insurance Group, Inc. is the parent of Safety Insurance Company, Safety Indemnity Insurance Company, and Safety Property and Casualty Insurance Company which are Boston, MA, based writers of property and casualty insurance.  Safety is a leading writer of personal automobile insurance in Massachusetts.

 

Additional Information:  Press releases, announcements, U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Filings and investor information are available under “About Safety,” “Investor Information” on our Company website located at www.SafetyInsurance.com.  Safety filed its December 31, 2010 Form 10-K with the SEC on March 14, 2011 and urges shareholders to refer to this document for more complete information concerning Safety’s financial results.

 

Contacts:

Safety Insurance Group, Inc.
Office of Investor Relations
877-951-2522
InvestorRelations@SafetyInsurance.com

 

Cautionary Statement under “Safe Harbor” Provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

 

This press release contains, and Safety may from time to time make, written or oral “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws.  Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts.  They often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “aim,” “projects,” or words of similar meaning and expressions that indicate future events and trends, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may”. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company’s strategy for growth, product development, market position, expenditures and financial results, are forward looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.  By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties.  There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause actual future conditions, events, results or trends to differ significantly and/or materially from historical results or those projected in the forward-looking statements.  These factors include but are not limited to the competitive nature of our industry and the possible adverse effects of such competition.  Although a number of national insurers that are much larger than we are do not currently compete in a material way in the Massachusetts private passenger automobile market, if one or more of these companies decided to aggressively enter the market it could have a material adverse effect on us.  Other significant factors include conditions for business operations and restrictive regulations in Massachusetts, the possibility of losses due to claims resulting from severe weather, the possibility that the Commissioner of Insurance may approve future Rule changes that change the operation of the residual market, our possible need for and availability of additional financing, and our dependence on strategic relationships, among others, and other risks and factors identified from time to time in our reports filed with the SEC, such as those set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 filed with the SEC on March 14, 2011.

 

We are not under any obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.  You should carefully consider the possibility that actual results may differ materially from our forward-looking statements.

 



 

Safety Insurance Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands, except share data)

 

 

 

June 30,

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2011

 

2010

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

Securities available for sale:

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed maturities, at fair value (amortized cost: $994,387 and $1,030,354)

 

$

1,033,321

 

$

1,063,237

 

Equity securities, at fair value (cost: $20,002 and $13,704)

 

21,446

 

14,624

 

Other invested assets, at cost, which approximates fair value

 

5,818

 

2,817

 

Total investments

 

1,060,585

 

1,080,678

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

55,511

 

40,291

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts

 

160,434

 

145,726

 

Receivable for securities sold

 

10,675

 

 

Accrued investment income

 

9,558

 

9,471

 

Taxes recoverable

 

11,719

 

5,061

 

Receivable from reinsurers related to paid loss and loss adjustment expenses

 

8,419

 

4,579

 

Receivable from reinsurers related to unpaid loss and loss adjustment expenses

 

52,475

 

53,147

 

Ceded unearned premiums

 

11,552

 

12,461

 

Deferred policy acquisition costs

 

57,979

 

52,824

 

Deferred income taxes

 

1,340

 

3,643

 

Equity and deposits in pools

 

13,308

 

19,971

 

Other assets

 

13,038

 

11,600

 

Total assets

 

$

1,466,593

 

$

1,439,452

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Loss and loss adjustment expense reserves

 

$

403,750

 

$

404,391

 

Unearned premium reserves

 

337,122

 

306,053

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

39,286

 

54,239

 

Payable for securities purchased

 

10,532

 

 

Payable to reinsurers

 

7,296

 

5,571

 

Other liabilities

 

22,185

 

15,722

 

Total liabilities

 

820,171

 

785,976

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock: $0.01 par value; 30,000,000 shares authorized; 16,915,032 and 16,795,504 shares issued

 

169

 

168

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

154,991

 

151,317

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes

 

26,246

 

21,972

 

Retained earnings

 

520,542

 

535,545

 

Treasury stock, at cost: 1,727,455 shares

 

(55,526

)

(55,526

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

646,422

 

653,476

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

$

1,466,593

 

$

1,439,452

 

 



 

Safety Insurance Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

 

2011

 

2010

 

2011

 

2010

 

Net earned premiums

 

$

148,720

 

$

136,143

 

$

293,366

 

$

269,300

 

Net investment income

 

9,470

 

10,857

 

19,635

 

21,649

 

Net realized gains (losses) on investments

 

1,277

 

(178

)

858

 

(68

)

Finance and other service income

 

4,470

 

4,576

 

8,875

 

8,872

 

Total revenue

 

163,937

 

151,398

 

322,734

 

299,753

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Losses and loss adjustment expenses

 

114,184

 

87,776

 

235,814

 

176,450

 

Underwriting, operating and related expenses

 

44,071

 

42,257

 

86,700

 

84,125

 

Interest expense

 

21

 

22

 

43

 

44

 

Total expenses

 

158,276

 

130,055

 

322,557

 

260,619

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

 

5,661

 

21,343

 

177

 

39,134

 

Income tax expense

 

1,576

 

6,254

 

45

 

11,271

 

Net income

 

$

4,085

 

$

15,089

 

$

132

 

$

27,863

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings per weighted average common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.27

 

$

1.00

 

$

0.01

 

$

1.85

 

Diluted

 

$

0.27

 

$

1.00

 

$

0.01

 

$

1.84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash dividends paid per common share

 

$

0.50

 

$

0.40

 

$

1.00

 

$

0.80

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of shares used in computing earnings per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

15,184,605

 

15,113,357

 

15,142,682

 

15,099,304

 

Diluted

 

15,198,804

 

15,130,393

 

15,159,513

 

15,116,127

 

 

Safety Insurance Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Additional Premium Information

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

 

2011

 

2010

 

2011

 

2010

 

Written Premiums

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct

 

$

173,130

 

$

160,383

 

$

337,214

 

$

314,489

 

Assumed

 

4,530

 

3,347

 

8,697

 

6,940

 

Ceded

 

(9,835

)

(10,199

)

(20,567

)

(20,810

)

Net written premiums

 

$

167,825

 

$

153,531

 

$

325,344

 

$

300,619

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earned Premiums

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct

 

$

155,481

 

$

143,204

 

$

306,952

 

$

283,066

 

Assumed

 

4,000

 

3,569

 

7,890

 

7,788

 

Ceded

 

(10,761

)

(10,630

)

(21,476

)

(21,554

)

Net earned premiums

 

$

148,720

 

$

136,143

 

$

293,366

 

$

269,300