Financial Comparison: Hiscox (HCXLF) & The Competition

Hiscox (OTCMKTS:HCXLF) is one of 316 public companies in the “Insurance” industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare Hiscox to similar companies based on the strength of its risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Hiscox and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hiscox	0	0	2	0	3.00
Hiscox Competitors	3191	15217	16024	663	2.40

As a group, “Insurance” companies have a potential upside of 5.33%. Given Hiscox’s competitors higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hiscox has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Hiscox and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hiscox	N/A	N/A	37.06
Hiscox Competitors	$15.48 billion	$1.69 billion	32.89

Hiscox’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Hiscox. Hiscox is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

59.1% of Hiscox shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.8% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are owned by institutional investors. 13.8% of shares of all “Insurance” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Hiscox pays an annual dividend of $0.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Hiscox pays out 12.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Insurance” companies pay a dividend yield of 3.0% and pay out 30.3% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Hiscox and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hiscox	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hiscox Competitors	10.69%	10.83%	3.96%

Summary

Hiscox competitors beat Hiscox on 8 of the 13 factors compared.

About Hiscox

Hiscox Ltd, through its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Hiscox Retail, Hiscox London Market, Hiscox Re & ILS, and Corporate Centre. It offers commercial insurance for small-and medium-sized businesses; and personal lines cover, including high-value household, fine art, and luxury motor, as well as artwork, antiques, classic cars, jewelry, collectables, and other assets through brokers, partners, and direct-to-consumers. The company also provides property insurance; marine, specialty, and energy insurance; space and aviation insurance; casualty insurance; specialty insurance; terrorism, kidnap, and ransom insurance; and other specialty insurance products. In addition, it offers healthcare and casualty reinsurance services, as well as investment services. Hiscox Ltd was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.