Shares in Hiscox Ltd (LSE:HSX), the international specialist insurer, rose 5% to 1,632p to top the FTSE 100 leaderboard after the company reported a 10.2% increase in first-quarter premiums driven by accelerating growth in its retail division.
Group insurance contract written premiums, the total value of policies underwritten in the period, rose to $1.72 billion in the three months to 31 March, up from $1.56 billion a year earlier.
The retail division, which covers small business and personal lines insurance across the UK, US and Europe, led the way with premiums up 15.1% to $847.2 million, or 8% in constant currency terms, in line with full-year guidance.
Growth was broad-based across all three retail geographies, with Europe up 6.8% in constant currency, the UK up 8.9% and the US up 8.5%.
Hiscox Re, the reinsurance arm, grew premiums by 7.1% to $527.1 million, boosted by new third-party capital inflows, while London Market premiums rose 4% to $342.8 million despite ongoing rate pressure in property lines.
The company said loss experience in the quarter was within expectations, with a benign natural catastrophe environment offsetting the impact of the Middle East conflict on its specialist lines.
The investment result was $34.1 million, held back by $69.6 million in unrealised losses on fixed-income securities, which the company said were expected to unwind as bonds mature.
Hiscox said its share buyback, announced in February, had repurchased 2.6 million shares at a cost of $54.5 million as of 6 May.
Chief executive Aki Hussain said the outlook for 2026 was positive, with retail momentum continuing to build and the company's internal change programme on track.