Progressive's profit beats expectations on strong demand for insurance policies
April 12 (Reuters) -Insurer Progressive Corp PGR.N reported a better-than expected first-quarter profit on Friday, helped by strong demand for its personal and property insurance policies, sending its shares up 2% in early trading.
Strong job market and rising wages are fueling renewed spending on auto insurance, one of Progressive's core business.
It had 26.5 million personal insurance policies in force, 7% higher than last year. Property business and commercial lines policies were also 10% and 3% higher than last year, respectively.
Excluding one-off items, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based company earned $3.75 a share, trouncing analysts' average estimates of $3.24 a share, according to LSEG data.
Shares of Progressive have advanced 30% so far this year, outperforming peers like Allstate ALL.N and Travelers TRV.N, which rose 20% and 17%, respectively.
Progressive earned $16.15 billion in net premiums, 19% higher than last year.
Combined ratio was 86.1%, versus 99% last year. A ratio below 100% means the insurer earned more in premiums than it paid out in claims.
Reporting by Niket Nishant and Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru
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