Hartford Insurance Group (HIG -1.64%), a leading U.S. provider of property and casualty insurance, group benefits, and mutual funds, reported second quarter 2025 earnings on July 28, 2025. The company delivered a robust quarter, significantly beating analyst expectations with Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $3.41, outpacing the $2.83 consensus estimate (non-GAAP). The quarter’s standout performance came from improvements in core underwriting and investment income, offset by areas of pressure in Employee Benefits and persistent outflows in Hartford Funds. Management characterized the quarter as “outstanding,” citing strong execution in key business lines and continued progress on strategic initiatives.
| Metric | Q2 2025 | Q2 2025 Estimate | Q2 2024 | Y/Y Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPS (Core, Non-GAAP) | $3.41 | $2.83 | $2.50 | 36% |
| Revenue (GAAP) | $7.0 billion | $7.0 billion | $6.5 billion | 7.7% |
| Core Earnings (Non-GAAP) | $981 million | $750 million | 31% | |
| Book Value per Diluted Share | $60.02 | $51.43 | 17% | |
| Core Earnings ROE (Trailing 12 Months) | 17.0% | 17.4% | (0.4) pp |
Source: Analyst estimates for the quarter provided by FactSet.
Company Overview and Key Success Factors
Hartford Insurance Group operates across three core segments: property and casualty insurance, group benefits, and mutual funds. Its P&C division covers a spectrum of business lines, such as small business, middle market, personal auto, and homeowners insurance. The group benefits segment provides products like disability, life, and accident coverage. Hartford Funds, the asset management arm, focuses on mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
In recent years, the company has prioritized five critical areas: advanced underwriting using data and artificial intelligence; strengthening investment management for reliable returns; expanding through diverse distribution partnerships including a key relationship with AARP; ensuring strict regulatory compliance; and investing in workforce talent and digital platforms. The combination of underwriting discipline and focus on innovation has helped the company respond quickly to shifts in risk, market demand, and customer needs.
Quarter in Detail: Segment Performance and Notable Events
The quarter saw robust growth in property and casualty insurance, especially within business insurance lines. Business Insurance written premiums increased by 8% to $3.8 billion, with a significant 26% rise in core earnings to $697 million. The segment’s combined ratio, an industry measure of underwriting profitability where lower is better, improved by 2.8 points to 87.0. The underlying combined ratio—a figure that adjusts for catastrophe and prior development losses—stood at 88.0, slightly higher than last year due to some increase in general liability claim costs. Notably, Net favorable development from prior years added $122 million before tax, up from $44 million in Q2 2024. Catastrophe losses dropped, easing from $155 million in Q2 2024 to $114 million.
The personal insurance segment achieved a marked turnaround, posting core earnings of $94 million after a core loss in the prior year. Combined ratio in personal insurance improved to 94.1 from 107.4 in Q2 2024, driven by improved underwriting in both auto and homeowners products. Homeowners new business surged 47%, while policy retention remained stable in Q2 2025. Renewal price increases averaged 14.0% for auto and 12.7% for homeowners insurance, supporting the segment’s return to profitability in Q2 2025. The Prevail auto and home platform, now active in 44 states, helped drive direct channel new business, while AARP partnership continued to underpin customer acquisition among older adults.
Employee Benefits delivered flat fully insured ongoing premiums at $1.60 billion. However, core earnings declined by 8% to $163 million, and the net income margin narrowed by 1.2 points to 8.5%. This pressure stemmed from higher expenses due to technology and staffing investments. Loss ratios—a measure of claims costs as a percentage of premiums—rose slightly to 69.1%, with increased disability claims offset by lower life insurance claims in Q2 2025. Employee Benefits expenses increased due to higher investments in technology and staffing costs in Q2 2025.
The Hartford Funds segment reported 7% growth in core earnings to $46 million, with assets under management (AUM) up 7% to $145.5 billion. Despite higher AUM driven by market appreciation, net outflows remained a concern at $(1.5) billion, a worsening from the prior year’s $(1.1) billion for Q2 2024. Continued outflows have been partially offset by higher market values.
From a financial perspective, total consolidated revenue reached $7.0 billion, up 7.7% from the prior year. Book value per diluted share also increased compared to the prior period, principally due to net income in excess of stockholder dividends and a decline in average net unrealized losses on investments in AOCI, partially offset by the dilutive effect of share repurchases. The company returned $549 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends, underlining its ongoing commitment to capital return in the quarter.
One-off items included net favorable prior year reserve development, as well as lower current year catastrophe losses compared to last year in Q2 2025. The company’s expense ratios also improved in property and casualty operations, largely due to the impact of higher earned premium in Q2 2025.
Management declared a quarterly dividend, maintaining its ongoing dividend payout. The company continues its trend of consistent shareholder returns, with $149 million paid in dividends and $400 million in share repurchases during Q2 2025.
Strategic Developments and Industry Context
This quarter, advances in underwriting stood out. The company continued to leverage data analytics and AI for more accurate risk assessment and product pricing. In the business insurance segment, management reported sustained pricing increases, notably 8.1% outside of workers’ compensation, staying ahead of estimated loss cost trends during Q2 2025.
On the investment side, net investment income climbed 10% to $664 million, boosting portfolio yields in Q2 2025. Total invested assets reached $60.9 billion in Q2 2025 yielding a pre-tax annualized return of 4.3% versus 4.1% for Q2 2024. Management underscored the contribution of higher reinvestment rates and a diversified portfolio, though variable rate assets comprised a modest share of the total.
Distribution channels remained robust, with growth in new business across Small Business and Personal Homeowners segments in Q1 2025. The AARP partnership continued to provide access to the over-50 demographic, while technology integrations and expansions in agency and direct sales efforts supported broader customer reach.
Regulatory compliance and human capital remained top priorities. The company highlighted agility in adjusting insurance rates as needed in file-and-use states—a process that allows insurers to respond faster to inflation and supply chain impacts on claim costs. Ongoing investment in talent and digital transformation, particularly in Employee Benefits, continued to drive operational changes.
Looking Ahead: Guidance and Emerging Trends
Management stated its confidence in delivering profitable growth through the rest of fiscal 2025. It reaffirmed goals to maintain strong combined ratios in P&C lines, return personal auto to target profitability, and continue investment yield improvements. Management provided no explicit quantitative financial guidance for upcoming quarters.
Investors will want to watch trends in Employee Benefits margins, as expense growth outpaced revenue in Q2 2025, and to monitor Hartford Funds net flows. The ongoing deployment of technology and data tools, as well as progress in agency relationships and the impact of future catastrophe events, will be important in assessing the company’s ability to sustain recent performance levels. The company continues to pay a regular quarterly dividend, in line with its historical pattern.
Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.
