The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how property & casualty insurance stocks fared in Q4, starting with Essent Group (NYSE: ESNT).

Property & Casualty (P&C) insurers protect individuals and businesses against financial loss from damage to property or from legal liability. This is a cyclical industry, and the sector benefits when there is 'hard market', characterized by strong premium rate increases that outpace loss and cost inflation, resulting in robust underwriting margins. The opposite is true in a 'soft market'. Interest rates also matter, as they determine the yields earned on fixed-income portfolios. On the other hand, P&C insurers face a major secular headwind from the increasing frequency and severity of catastrophe losses due to climate change. Furthermore, the liability side of the business is pressured by 'social inflation'—the trend of rising litigation costs and larger jury awards.

The 33 property & casualty insurance stocks we track reported a strong Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.9%.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 6% since the latest earnings results.

Essent Group (NYSE: ESNT)

Serving as a crucial bridge between homebuyers and the American dream of homeownership, Essent Group (NYSE: ESNT) provides private mortgage insurance and title services that enable lenders to offer home loans with down payments of less than 20%.

Essent Group reported revenues of $312.4 million, flat year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a softer quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

“We are pleased to report strong operating performance in the fourth quarter and full year 2025, which underscores the resilience of our business model and our ability to generate sustainable, long-term value for our shareholders,” said Mark A. Casale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 12% since reporting and currently trades at $57.75.

Read our full report on Essent Group here, it’s free.

Best Q4: First American Financial (NYSE: FAF)

Tracing its roots back to 1889 when California was experiencing its first major real estate boom, First American Financial (NYSE: FAF) provides title insurance, settlement services, and risk solutions for residential and commercial real estate transactions across the United States and internationally.

First American Financial reported revenues of $2.05 billion, up 21.6% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 15.2%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 1.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $63.39.

Is now the time to buy First American Financial? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Old Republic International (NYSE: ORI)

Founded during the Roaring Twenties in 1923 and weathering nearly a century of economic cycles, Old Republic International (NYSE: ORI) is a diversified insurance holding company that provides property, liability, title, and mortgage guaranty insurance through its various subsidiaries.

Old Republic International reported revenues of $2.36 billion, up 9.5% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 6.5% since the results and currently trades at $40.31.

Read our full analysis of Old Republic International’s results here.

Mercury General (NYSE: MCY)

Founded in 1961 and maintaining a network of over 6,300 independent agents across the country, Mercury General (NYSE: MCY) is an insurance company that primarily sells automobile insurance policies through independent agents in 11 states, with a strong focus on California.

Mercury General reported revenues of $1.54 billion, up 14.1% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 11.7%. It was an incredible quarter as it also recorded a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is down 9% since reporting and currently trades at $87.52.

Read our full, actionable report on Mercury General here, it’s free.

Enact Holdings (NASDAQ: ACT)

Playing a critical role in helping first-time homebuyers access the housing market, Enact Holdings (NASDAQ: ACT) provides private mortgage insurance that enables lenders to offer home loans with lower down payments while protecting against borrower defaults.

Enact Holdings reported revenues of $315.6 million, up 2.1% year on year. This number met analysts’ expectations. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $40.57.

Read our full, actionable report on Enact Holdings here, it’s free.

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