Here’s our Pick of the Month

Article Excerpt

INTACT FINANCIAL $102.37 (Toronto symbol IFC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-341-1464; www.intactfc.com; Shares outstanding: 131.0 million; Market cap: $14.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.5%) is Canada’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance. The company insures more than five million individuals and businesses. Its major brands are Intact Insurance, Canada BrokerLink and belairdirect. In the three months ended June 30, 2017, the insurer’s revenue rose 1.7%, to $2.50 billion from $2.46 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share in the quarter rose 73.5%, to $1.44 from $0.83. The big gain was mainly because of much higher catastrophe losses a year ago due to the Fort McMurray wildfires. In the latest quarter, the insurer reported a 95.0% combined ratio (the claims paid out divided by the premiums taken in—the lower, the better). That’s below the 99.2% it reported a year earlier. Intact has completed its $1.7 billion U.S. purchase of OneBeacon Insurance Group. OneBeacon is a Minnesota-based insurance holding company; its property-casualty insurance businesses provide a..