Here's How Non-Life Insurance Companies Capitalized on New Business Scope Brought by Covid-19 in First Quarter

Due to the global pandemic, all the economic activities were halted in all the country. Every business was affected, especially those with a brick and mortar business model. However, when we take a careful look at the numbers of non-life insurance, it seems that this sector has been growing at a steady rate. In fact, the non-life insurance industry earned Rs. 3.39 Arba of Net Premium last quarter in Nepal. Previously, the business penetration was quite low and was not achieving its full potential but due to the covid-19, it has brought a favorable scenario for the insurance business which can be seen by the increasing numbers.

With the first quarter report published by all the insurance companies, it is obvious that those with a strong business model and effective marketing strategies, some of them have shown better results. So, let's dive into the major indicators of non-life insurance in the first quarter of FY 2077/2078.

Net Profit:

It is interesting to look at the figures of all the companies because, despite the fact that business was halted due to global lockdown, they have been able to show increment in their bottom line.

Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) has reported the highest profit of all its competitors with a total of Rs. 12.44 crores. This is followed by Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) which has reported a profit of Rs. 12.23 crores. Similarly, the third position is secured by Premier Insurance Company Limited (PIC) with a profit of Rs. 7.90 crores.

Out of 17 insurance companies, 7 companies have reported above industry average net profit while 3 companies have reported a decline in Net profit in this quarter.

Paid-Up Capital:

The regulatory body “Rastriya Beema Samiti” has mandated Non-Life Insurance Industry to increase its capital up to Rs. 1 Arba.

When we look at the numbers of all the companies, only 2 companies are left to increase their capital to Rs. 1 Arba. Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) has the highest capital amounting to Rs. 1.37 Arba. The list is followed by Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) has the second-highest capital with a total of Rs. 1.31 Arba. Similarly, Nepal Insurance Company Limited (NICL) has a capital of a total of Rs. 1.15 Arba.

Reserve and Surplus:

In terms of Reserve, Rastriya Beema Company Limited (RBCL) has reported the highest reserve with a total of Rs. 2.99 Arba. Similarly, RBCL is followed by Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) which has reported a total reserve of Rs. 99.32 crores. Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) has reported a reserve of Rs. 58.04 crores.

Insurance Fund:

Insurance funds is that retained fund which the company has collected from its clients. This fund can be used by the company to earn profits for them, however not all the funds. If a client issued a claim then the company has to use the fund to make the payment.

In terms of the insurance fund, Rastriya Beema Company Limited (RBCL) has the highest fund with a total of Rs. 2.27 Arba. Similarly, Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) and NLG Insurance Company Limited (NLG) is on the list with a total of Rs. 1.11 Arba and 92.69 Arba respectively.

Net Premium:

Premium is a monthly payment by the client for an insurance policy. Net Premium is the payment that the insurance company retains for the policy. The remaining premium is ceded to the reinsurer which allows them to reduce the risk exposure and the liability.

Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) has earned the most premium amounting to Rs. 43.40 crores. Similarly, this is followed by Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) which has earned a net premium of Rs. 43.28 crores. Sagarmatha Insurance Company Limited (SIC) has earned a net premium of Rs. 35.81 crores.

The average premium collection of all the non-life insurance companies stands at Rs. 19.96 crores where 7 companies have reported above industry average net premium.

Net Claim Payment:

Net claim payment signifies how much money the company paid in claims over a certain period of time. Sanima General Insurance Company Limited (SGI) reported the lowest claim payment in this quarter amounting to Rs. 91 Lakhs. This is followed by Rastriya Beema Company Limited (RBCL) which paid out Rs. 1.40 crores in claims.

NOTE: Investors always needs to compare apple to apple meaning that when we see the claims that are being paid out, sanima general has the lowest claims, however, it has the lowest premium collection which signifies that the business is still small for Sanima General compared to Shikhar Insurance and other old players.

Number of Policies:

In terms of the number of policies, Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) has issued the highest number of policies reaching 78,042 policies. The list is followed by Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) who has issued a total of 76,935 policies. Similarly, NLG Insurance Company Limited (NLG) has issued a total of 56,921 policies.

The average number of policies stood at 39,391 where 7 companies have reported their policies above the industry average.

Annualized Earning per share:

Rastriya Beema Company Limited (RBCL) has reported the highest earnings per share in this quarter with Rs. 77.70 per share. Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) and Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) has reported the EPS of Rs. 37.79 per share and Rs. 35.59 per share respectively.

Net Worth per share:

The highest net worth per share is reported by Rastriya Beema Company Limited (RBCL) of Rs. 2076.51 per share. RBCL is followed by Shikhar Insurance Company Limited (SICL) with a net worth per share of Rs. 260.49 per share. NLG Insurance Company Limited (NLG) has reported a net worth of Rs. 235.36 per share making it the third-highest.

The average Net worth per share stood at Rs. 295.82 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio:

In terms of Price to Earnings ratio, Neco Insurance Company Limited (NIL) has reported the lowest P/E of 20.93 times. Similarly, Ajod Insurance Company Limited (AIL) reported a P/E of 23.70 times. Premier Insurance Company Limited (PIC) has reported the third lowest P/E of 25.77 times.

The lower P/E suggests that the investors have to pay relatively lower for a rupee of earnings than its competitors. The Average P/E stood at 42.43 times where 12 companies have reported a P/E below the industry average.

NOTE: The mentioned P/E is calculated based on the price of the qtr end price. So, investors are requested to calculate the P/E based on the current market price to come to a buying decision.

Finally, the below table illustrated the overall picture with the major indicators of 17 non-life insurance companies as of the first quarter of FY 2077/2078.

Wrapping Up:

Observing the numbers reported by all the companies, it is obvious that the business volume has increased at a steady rate in this quarter. The opportunity provided by this pandemic is well grabbed by the insurance sector and the penetration of 30% till the date is quite huge in terms of the relatively smaller market of Nepal.

When we observe the current policies the insurer has been issuing and their clients have been paying premiums, it indicates that the importance of insurance has been well perceived by the general people. If this continues then the insurance sector might be able to penetrate the broader market which might create better value for the shareholders in the long run.