TSC Ratings' Updates: HCC Insurance

The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. Compared with other companies in the insurance industry and the overall market, HCC's return on equity exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

HCC'S earnings per share declined by 7.0% in the most-recent quarter compared with the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. We feel it is likely to report a decline in earnings in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, HCC increased its bottom line by earning $3.38 vs. $2.92 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 10.4% in earnings ($3.03 vs. $3.38).

HCC had been rated a hold since March 11, 2008.

First BanCorp Holding(FBP Quote) has been upgraded from sell to hold. First BanCorp operates as the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides financial services and products for retail, commercial and institutional clients in Puerto Rico, the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands.The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its increase in net income, expanding profit margins and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the company's return on equity has been disappointing.

The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the commercial banks industry. The net income increased by 38.6% when compared with the same quarter one year prior, rising from $23.80 million to $32.99 million.