Helios Underwriting - Strategic shift from growth to consolidation

Helios Underwriting (Helios) delivered EPS growth of 35% to 7.7p in H124 and reported a net asset value (NAV) of 191p/share. While its combined ratio of 91.6% deteriorated from 88% in H123 and 85% in FY23 due to seasonal impacts on the 2024 year of account (YOA) and stricter reserving for its 2022 YOA, we forecast an improvement to 88.8% for FY24. Helios experienced cost pressures during the period as a result of abandoning its ‘follow-only’ syndicate initiative and the departure of its CEO. We

Helios Underwriting - Delivery into a strong underwriting cycle

Helios Underwriting (Helios) delivered strong EPS of 21.6p in FY23, from a loss of 3.1p in FY22, ahead of our 14.7p forecast. On 7 June, the company announced that CEO Martin Reith had stepped down, with Michael Wade taking over as executive chair. Mr Reith had driven a strategy of investment in internal capabilities and Lloyd’s of London (Lloyd’s) capacity expansion via tenancy capacity and promotor activities. While Helios will still pursue select capacity acquisition, indications are that fut

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 07 June 24

7th June 2024 * A corporate client of Hybridan LLP ** Arranged by type of listing and date of announcement *** Alphabetically arranged **** Potential means Intention to Float (ITF) has been announced, or it is a rumour Dish of the day Admissions: Delistings: What’s baking in the oven? ** Potential**** Initial Public Offerings: ITF announced: 22nd May: Raspberry Pi announces an intention to float onto the Premium listing segment of the Main Market. Raspberry Pi is a designer and developer of high

Helios Underwriting - Healthy FY23 beat supports strong outlook

Helios Underwriting (Helios) delivered a strong EPS recovery in FY23 from a loss of 3.1p in FY22 to a profit of 21.6p, 50% ahead of our forecast of 14.7p, driven by super syndicate underwriting profit of £31.6m versus £0.1m in FY22 and a combined ratio of 86%. Lloyd’s of London (Lloyd’s) capacity at year-end was accelerated to £507m relative to our expectation of £502m, with retained capacity of £392m also ahead. Net asset value (NAV) increased from 151p/share to 189p/share, slightly ahead of ou

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 22 April 2024

22nd April 2024 * A corporate client of Hybridan LLP ** Arranged by type of listing and date of announcement *** Alphabetically arranged **** Potential means Intention to Float (ITF) has been announced Dish of the day Admissions: Delistings: What’s baking in the oven? ** Potential**** Initial Public Offerings: Reverse Takeovers: 16 April 2024: Electric Guitar (ELEG.L) Concurrent with its Admission to trading on AIM, Electric Guitar is proposing to acquire the entire issued share capital of 3radi

Helios Underwriting - Strong share price on supportive fundamentals

On 22 March, Helios Underwriting reported NAV for 31 December 2023 of 185p/share. This is broadly in line with our expectations and has not affected the forecasts in our update note published on 16 January. We maintain our valuation of 280p/share, which is at a 51% premium to the 31 December 2023 NAV. Since our last publication, Helios’s share price has risen by 22% (up 33% in the last month). This strong performance is well supported by the underlying fundamentals and outlook (as highlighted in

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 04 Mar 24

4th March 2024 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objecti

Helios Underwriting - Huge capacity increase follows capital restructure

Helios Underwriting reported FY24 expected underwriting capacity of £501.8m on 15 December 2023, a huge 69% increase over the past year. Capacity growth of £28m reported at H123 is followed by a further expected £177m of tenancy capacity, some only becoming active during H124. The large addition was made possible by a significant capital restructure where Helios raised US$75m in seven-year unsecured debt at a coupon of 9.5%. The syndicate underwriting operating result outlook has meaningfully im

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 11 Dec 23

11th December 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment obj

Helios Underwriting - Interim results deliver long-awaited upswing

Helios Underwriting reported H123 EPS of 5.7p, a meaningful turnaround from a 4.4p loss in H122 and a 4.9p loss in FY22. It benefited from a much-improved combined ratio of 88% (H122: 95%) and a turnaround in syndicate investment income, supported by 28% growth in gross written premiums (GWP). It recorded a 4.8% increase in underwriting capacity, to £310.8m, thanks to acquisitions and new investment. Group investment income lagged in H123 but is forecast to deliver strongly in H223 and into FY24

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 14 Jul 23

14th July 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objecti

Helios Underwriting + (HUW, No Recommendation, 160p) - Terminating coverage

Growth Companies - Share & share alike Sell in May?

SHORE CAPITAL - Helios Underwriting+ (HUW, House Stock, 163p) - Mid-point forecast update & new CEO

SHORE CAPITAL - Helios Underwriting + (HUW) - House Stock at 163p - Capacity update: strong growth continues