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Investing.com -- Beazley PLC (LON:BEZG) shares tumbled over 8% Wednesday after the U.K. insurer cut its full-year premium growth forecast on Wednesday, citing softer demand in its cyber and property risk insurance segments.
The firm now expects gross written premiums to rise in the low-to-mid single digits, down from its earlier guidance for mid-single-digit growth.
For the first half of the year, profit before tax fell to $502.5 million from $728.9 million a year earlier.
Gross written premiums edged up 2% to $3.19 billion, while net written premiums rose 1% to $2.60 billion.
The undiscounted combined ratio widened to 84.9% from 80.7%.
The insurance service result declined 12% to $493.7 million, with earnings per share down 24% to 52.5 pence.
"To our mind, Beazley’s 1H 2025 results are perhaps a precursor of what lies ahead more broadly," Jefferies analyst Philip Kett said in a note.
In our view, investors will be pleased with the profitability, and reassured by Beazley’s proactive stance on the cycle. However, the lack of growth is likely to weigh on the shares, and we would not be surprised if they fell today," he added.
Annualised return on equity fell to 18.2% from 28.4% a year ago.
Net assets per share increased 11% to 560.0 pence, while net tangible assets per share also gained 11% to 536.1 pence.