EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm EARNINGS RELEASE Earnings Release

Exhibit 99.1

LOGO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Media Contact:      Investor Relations Contact:
Suzie Boland      Alison Ziegler
RFB Communications Group      Cameron Associates
813.259.0345      212.554.5469
sboland@rfbcommunications.com      alison@cameronassoc.com

Homeowners Choice Reports Profitable First Quarter and

Anticipates Improved Profitability

 

 

Strong balance sheet: $103 million in cash and short term and liquid investments with no debt

 

 

Book value of $7.21 per share increased 13.5 percent from first quarter 2009

Clearwater, Fla. (May 14, 2010) – Homeowners Choice, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCII), a Florida-based provider of homeowners’ insurance, today announced its results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

Net income for the first quarter of 2010 was $698,000, or $0.10 per diluted share, compared with net income of $6.3 million, or $0.87 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2009. Book value per share increased from $7.03 at December 31, 2009 to $7.21 at March 31, 2010, an increase of 2.6 percent.

Gross premiums earned were $30.3 million for each of the quarters ended March 31, 2010 and 2009. Net premiums earned for the first quarter of 2010 decreased 24 percent to $16.2 million from $21.3 million in the prior year quarter. “Net premiums earned” reflects gross premiums earned reduced by premiums ceded to reinsurance companies that cover certain of the risks from hurricanes and other catastrophes. The company’s reinsurance costs increased significantly beginning June 1, 2009 when it renewed its reinsurance policies. During the first quarter of 2010, reinsurance costs were 46 percent of the company’s gross premiums earned compared with 30 percent in the prior year quarter. Homeowners Choice also reported investment income of $531,000 for the first quarter compared with $358,000 in the prior year first quarter.

Losses and loss adjustment expenses for the first quarter were $9.8 million compared with $10.0 million in the prior year quarter. Policy acquisition and other underwriting expenses for the first quarter of 2010 were $4.3 million compared with $0.9 million during the first quarter of 2009. This increase was primarily due to commissions and other underwriting expenses associated with renewal policies which accounted for $23.3 million of gross premiums in the 2010 first quarter compared with $9.6 million in the first quarter of 2009. Other operating expenses, which include a variety of general and administrative expenses, for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009 were $1.7 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

During the first quarter of 2010, the company repurchased a total of 54,143 of its common shares as part of its publicly announced repurchase plan, plus an additional 200,000 shares under a stock purchase agreement outside of this plan. These repurchases were in addition to the 452,000 common shares purchased in 2009. At March 31, 2010, the company’s weighted average diluted shares totaled 6,814,000, a 6.1 percent decrease from the 7,255,000 weighted average shares reported at March 31, 2009.


“Given the high-rate reinsurance contracts covering the 2009 hurricane season, we are pleased to report another consecutive profitable quarter,” said Homeowners Choice Chief Executive Officer F.X. McCahill. “During the past year we worked hard to optimize our book of business in order to mitigate reinsurance costs, improve loss ratios and maximize profitability. As part of that process, we allowed our policy count to shrink over much of 2009, but then we added policies in December 2009 by participating in our seventh assumption from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. As of March 31, 2010, the net policy count from this assumption after consumer opt outs was approximately 17,000 policies.

“Looking out over the remainder of 2010, we expect continued profitably with bottom-line improvement as a result of an easing of reinsurance rates combined with an average rate increase of 14 percent, which began rolling through our book of business in April 2010.”

Conference Call

The company will host an earnings conference call Tuesday, May 18, 2010, at 4:30 p.m. E.D.T. to discuss its first quarter 2010 results. Interested parties are invited to listen to the call live over the Internet at http://www.ir-site.com/hcpci/events.asp. The call is also available by dialing (877) 407-9210 (toll-free). International participants should instead call (201) 689-8049. Participants should dial into the conference call approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. Replays of the webcast will be available until August 18, 2010.

About Homeowners Choice, Inc.

Homeowners Choice, Inc. is a Florida-based insurance holding company headquartered in Clearwater. Through its subsidiary corporations, Homeowners Choice provides property and casualty homeowners’ insurance, condominium owners’ insurance and tenants’ insurance solely to Florida property owners. Founded in 2006, Homeowners Choice today serves approximately 69,000 policyholders throughout Florida representing approximately $127 million in annualized premiums. The company’s common shares trade on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol HCII and are included in the Russell Microcap Index. Warrants trade on the same market under the ticker symbol HCIIW. More information about Homeowners Choice, Inc. is available at www.hcpci.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan” and “project” and other similar words and expressions are intended to signify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions but rather are subject to various risks and uncertainties. For example, there can be no assurance that the company will obtain reinsurance rate relief, improved profitability or bottom-line improvement during 2010. Some of these risks and uncertainties are identified in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should any risks or uncertainties develop into actual events, these developments could have material adverse effects on the company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Homeowners Choice, Inc. disclaims all obligations to update any forward-looking statements.

—financial tables to follow—


HOMEOWNERS CHOICE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2010     2009  

Revenue

    

Gross premiums earned

   $ 30,344      30,337   

Premiums ceded

     (14,103   (9,007
              

Net premiums earned

     16,241      21,330   

Net investment income

     531      358   

Other

     215      635   
              

Total revenue

     16,987      22,323   
              

Expenses

    

Losses and loss adjustment expenses

     9,813      10,022   

Policy acquisition and other underwriting expenses

     4,292      920   

Other operating expenses

     1,696      1,244   
              

Total expenses

     15,801      12,186   
              

Income before income taxes

     1,186      10,137   

Income taxes

     488      3,853   
              

Net income

   $ 698      6,284   
              

Basic earnings per share

   $ 0.11      0.91   
              

Diluted earnings per share

   $ 0.10      0.87   
              

Dividends per share

   $ —        —     
              


HOMEOWNERS CHOICE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands, except share amounts)

 

     At March 31, 2010    At December 31, 2009  
     (Unaudited)       
Assets      

Investment in fixed maturity securities, held-to-maturity, at amortized cost (fair value $7,756 and $4,250)

   $ 7,556    4,049   

Investment in fixed maturity securities, available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost $19,778 and $19,763)

     19,909    19,266   

Time deposits

     13,634    13,507   

Short-term investments

     7,301    11,521   
             

Total investments

     48,400    48,343   

Cash and cash equivalents

     54,440    43,453   

Accrued interest and dividends receivable

     321    176   

Premiums receivable

     4,284    4,899   

Assumed reinsurance balances receivable

     —      19,525   

Prepaid reinsurance premiums

     9,402    7,205   

Deferred policy acquisition costs

     7,126    10,496   

Property and equipment, net

     471    399   

Deferred income taxes

     1,862    2,438   

Other assets

     1,869    958   
             

Total assets

   $ 128,175    137,892   
             
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity      

Losses and loss adjustment expenses

     20,805    19,178   

Unearned premiums

     46,930    68,509   

Advance premiums

     6,623    713   

Assumed reinsurance balances payable

     5,211    0   

Accrued expenses

     3,495    3,742   

Income taxes payable

     80    167   

Other liabilities

     326    205   
             

Total liabilities

     83,470    92,514   
             

Stockholders’ equity:

     

Preferred stock (no par value 20,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding)

     —      —     

Common stock, (no par value, 40,000,000 shares authorized, 6,202,492 and 6,456,635 shares issued and outstanding in 2010 and 2009)

     —      —     

Additional paid-in capital

     19,407    21,164   

Retained earnings

     25,218    24,520   

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

     80    (306
             

Total stockholders’ equity

     44,705    45,378   
             

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 128,175    137,892