Strong quarter for Intact

Article Excerpt

INTACT FINANCIAL $88.20 (Toronto symbol IFC; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (416-341- 1464; www.intactfc.com; Shares outstanding: 131.5 million; Market cap: $11.5 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) is Canada’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance, based on premiums. Its brands include Intact Insurance, Canada BrokerLink and belairdirect. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Intact’s revenue rose 9.4%, to $2.09 billion from $1.91 billion a year earlier. Revenue improved across all of the company’s insurance lines and geographic regions. Earnings rose 7.6%, to $199 million, or $1.47 a share, from $185 million, or $1.37. Intact continues to write more-profitable insurance policies and cut its operating costs. The company reported a combined ratio, or claims paid out divided by premiums taken in (the lower, the better) of 93.2% in the latest quarter, unchanged from a year earlier. The stock trades at 13.0 times Intact’s forecast 2016 earnings of $6.81 a share. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 10.4% with the March 2015…