Kingstone Companies, Inc. (Nasdaq: KINS) (the “Company” or “Kingstone”), a Northeast regional property and casualty insurance holding company, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. The Company will host a conference call for analysts and investors on May 12, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, as previously announced on April 21, 2023.

Financial and Operational Highlights

2023 First Quarter

(All results are compared to prior year quarterly period unless otherwise noted)

• Loss per share of $(0.47) compared to loss per share of $(0.87); net operating loss per share¹ of $(0.56) compared to $(0.54). Losses attributable to catastrophes were $(0.27) per share compared to $(0.22)
• Book value per share of $3.09, down 8.6% from the prior quarter. Book value per share excluding Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss)¹ was $4.39
• Direct written premiums¹ grew by 10.7% to $47.6 million
• Net premiums earned increased 5.9% to $28.3 million
• Net combined ratio decreased to 123.3% from 124.5%
• Net loss ratio was 88.6%, up from 86.0%, including 13.2% of catastrophe losses up from 11.3%
• Net underwriting expense ratio decreased to 34.7% from 38.5%
• Net combined ratio excluding catastrophes and prior year loss development¹ was 110.1% compared to 113.2%
• No shares repurchased during Q1

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

As previously announced, the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 9:00 A.M. at 15 Joys Lane, Kingston, New York. Stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 15, 2023 will be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

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¹ These measures are not based on accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and are defined and reconciled below to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Management Commentary

Barry Goldstein, Kingstone's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We have been working diligently to strengthen and fortify our business, as we continue to navigate today’s challenging environment. While we are reporting an underwriting loss for the first quarter, this is not unexpected given the difficult northeast winter and reflects a reality of operating within this region. Looking ahead, I believe that many of the headwinds we’ve faced will begin to slow, enabling us to see increasing benefits from the strategic actions we’ve taken. Our entire team remains relentlessly focused on improving our underwriting results and returning Kingstone to profitability.”

Jennifer Gravelle, Kingstone’s Chief Financial Offer, continued, “While our underwriting loss this quarter was comparable to last year due to weather-related events, our investment results improved due to the stabilization of the capital markets. Further, we’ve continued to make great progress on our disciplined expense reduction efforts, an important part of building a strong foundation for sustained growth.”

Meryl Golden, Kingstone's Chief Operating Officer, concluded, “We’ve already made inroads on Kingstone 3.0, our four-pillar strategy for 2023 and 2024, which we introduced last quarter. We’re rapidly offloading our unprofitable non-New York book of business to enhance our bottom line, are seeing average premiums up materially due to rate changes and updated replacement costs, have kept our tight underwriting criteria in place and implemented a host of initiatives to manage our PML, and are reporting that our expense ratio is down considerably and continues to decline. I’m optimistic for Kingstone’s future and remain laser-focused on implementing our strategic plan that will restore us to profitability and deliver long term value for shareholders.”

See “Forward-Looking Statements”

Financial Highlights Table

2023 First Quarter Financial Review

Net loss:

Net loss was $5.1 million during the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, compared to net loss of $9.2 million in the prior year period. Typically, the first quarter of the year produces an underwriting loss due to the geographic positioning of Kingstone’s policyholders.

Earnings (Loss) per share (“EPS”):

Kingstone reported EPS of $(0.47) per diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to EPS of $(0.87) per diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2022. EPS for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was based on 10.8 million and 10.6 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding, respectively.

Direct Written Premiums,¹ Net Written Premiums¹ and Net Premiums Earned

Direct written premiums¹ for the first quarter of 2023 were $47.6 million, an increase of $4.6 million, or 10.7%, from $43.0 million in the prior year period. The increase is primarily attributable to a $4.0 million increase in premiums from our personal lines business and a $0.6 million increase in our livery physical damage product.

Net written premiums¹ decreased $0.9 million, or 3.8%, to $24.0 million during the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 from $24.9 million in the prior year period. The decrease in the first quarter was attributable to the runoff of a 8.5% portion of a 30% personal lines quota share treaty. The remainder of the treaty was on a cutoff basis and was placed at 30% on January 1, 2023.

Net premiums earned for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 increased 5.9% to $28.3 million, compared to $26.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. The increase in the first quarter was attributable to an increase in direct written premiums.

Net Loss Ratio:

For the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the Company’s net loss ratio was 88.6%, compared to 86.0% in the prior year period. The loss ratio increased from the prior year period mainly due to an increase in catastrophe losses. The impact of catastrophe losses was 13.2 points for 2023 compared to 11.3 points in the prior year.

Net Underwriting Expense Ratio:

For the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the net underwriting expense ratio was 34.7% as compared to 38.5% in the prior year period, a decrease of 3.8 percentage points. The decrease in the first quarter was primarily attributable to the increase in provisional ceding commissions from the 30% personal lines quota share, a decrease in IT expenses from the retirement of the Company’s legacy systems and changes to producer commissions..

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¹ These measures are not based on GAAP and are defined and reconciled below to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Balance Sheet / Investment Portfolio

Kingstone’s cash and investment holdings were $190.6 million at March 31, 2023 compared to $191.0 million at March 31, 2022. The Company’s investment holdings are comprised primarily of investment grade corporate, mortgage-backed and municipal securities, with fixed income investments representing approximately 90.1% of total investments at March 31, 2023 and 90.7% at December 31, 2022. The Company’s effective duration on its fixed-income portfolio is 4.3 years.

Net investment income increased 13.4% to $1.54 million for the first quarter of 2023 from $1.36 million in the prior year period.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/ (Loss) (“AOCI”), net of tax

As of March 31, 2023, AOCI was a loss of $(14.0) million compared to loss of $(16.0) million at December 31, 2022. The increase in AOCI at March 31, 2023 of $2.0 million is attributable to the impact of stabilizing interest rates on available for sale securities since December 31, 2022.

Share Repurchase Program

The Company did not repurchase any shares during the quarter.

Book Value

The Company’s book value per share at March 31, 2023 was $3.09, a decline of 8.6% compared to $3.38 at December 31, 2022.

Book value excluding Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income per Share¹

The Company’s book value excluding Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) per share at March 31, 2023 was $4.39, a decline of 9.8% compared to $4.87 at December 31, 2022.

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¹ This measure is not based on GAAP and is defined and reconciled below to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

Conference Call Details

Management will discuss the Company’s operations and financial results in a conference call on Friday, May 12, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The dial-in numbers are:

877-407-3105 (U.S.)

201-493-6794 (International)

Accompanying Webcast

The call will be simultaneously webcast over the Internet via the Kingstone website or by clicking on the conference call link:

Kingstone Companies First Quarter 2023 Financial Results Webcast

The webcast will be archived and accessible for approximately 30 days.

Definitions and Non-GAAP Measures

Direct written premiums represent the total premiums charged on policies issued by the Company during the respective fiscal period. Net premiums written are direct written premiums less premiums ceded to reinsurers. Net premiums earned, the GAAP measure most comparable to direct written premiums and net premiums written, are net premiums written that are pro-rata earned during the fiscal period presented. All of the Company’s policies are written for a twelve-month period. Management uses direct written premiums and net premiums written, along with other measures, to gauge the Company’s performance and evaluate results.

Net operating income (loss) - is net income (loss) exclusive of realized investment gains (losses), net of tax. Net income (loss) is the GAAP measure most closely comparable to net operating income (loss).

Management uses net operating income (loss) along with other measures to gauge the Company’s performance and evaluate results, which can be skewed when including realized investment gains (losses), and may vary significantly between periods. Net operating income (loss) is provided as supplemental information, not as a substitute for net income (loss) and does not reflect the Company’s overall profitability.

Book value per share excluding accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income - is book value per share excluding the impact of accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income or AOCI. Management uses book value per share excluding accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income to evaluate the results to exclude the impact of interest rate changes on our fixed income portfolio.

Net combined ratio excluding effect of catastrophes and prior year loss development - is a non-GAAP ratio, which is computed as the difference between GAAP net combined ratio and the effect of catastrophes and prior year loss development on the net combined ratio.

We believe that these ratios are useful to investors, and they are used by management to reveal the trends in our business that may be obscured by catastrophe losses and prior year loss development. Catastrophe losses cause our loss ratios to vary significantly between periods as a result of their incidence of occurrence and magnitude and can have a significant impact on the net loss ratio and net combined ratio. Prior year loss development can cause our loss ratio to vary significantly between periods and separating this information allows us to better compare the results for the current accident period over time. We believe these measures are useful for investors to evaluate these components separately and in the aggregate when reviewing our underwriting performance. We also provide them to facilitate a comparison to our outlook on the net combined ratio excluding the effect of catastrophes and prior year loss development. The most directly comparable GAAP measure is the net combined ratio. The net combined ratio excluding the effect of catastrophes and prior year loss development should not be considered a substitute for the net combined ratio and does not reflect the Company’s net combined ratio.

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The table below reconciles direct written premiums and net written premiums to net premiums earned for the periods presented:

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The following table reconciles net operating loss to net (loss) income for the periods indicated:

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The following table reconciles book value excluding accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income to book value as of the dates indicated:

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The following table reconciles the net combined ratio excluding catastrophes and prior year loss development to the net combined ratio for the periods presented:

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The following table reconciles the net loss ratio excluding catastrophes and prior year loss development to the net loss ratio for the periods presented:

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The following table summarizes gross and net written premiums, net premiums earned, net loss and loss adjustment expenses and net loss ratio by major product type, which were determined based primarily on similar economic characteristics and risks of loss.

1. “Other” includes, among other things, premiums and loss and loss adjustment expenses from our participation in a mandatory state joint underwriting association and loss and loss adjustment expenses from commercial auto.
2. In July 2019, the Company decided that it will no longer underwrite Commercial Liability risks.
3. See discussion with regard to “Direct Written Premiums, Net Written Premiums and Net Premiums Earned” above.
4. See discussion above with regard to “Net Loss Ratio”.

About Kingstone Companies, Inc.

Kingstone is a northeast regional property and casualty insurance holding company whose principal operating subsidiary is Kingstone Insurance Company (“KICO”). KICO is a New York domiciled carrier writing business through retail and wholesale agents and brokers. KICO offers primarily personal lines insurance products in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Kingstone is also licensed in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Maine.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. For more details on factors that could affect expectations, see Part I, Item 1A (“Risk Factors”) of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Part I, Item 2 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2023 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the following:

• As a property and casualty insurer, we may face significant losses from catastrophes and severe weather events.

• Unanticipated increases in the severity or frequency of claims may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

• We are exposed to significant financial and capital markets risk which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and our net investment income can vary from period to period.

• The insurance industry is subject to extensive regulation that may affect our operating costs and limit the growth of our business, and changes within this regulatory environment may adversely affect our operating costs and limit the growth of our business.

• Changing climate conditions may adversely affect our financial condition, profitability or cash flows.

• Because a significant portion of our revenue is currently derived from sources located in New York, our business may be adversely affected by conditions in such state.

• We are highly dependent on a relatively small number of insurance brokers for a large portion of our revenues.

• Actual claims incurred may exceed current reserves established for claims, which may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

• We rely on our information technology and telecommunication systems, and the failure of these systems could materially and adversely affect our business.

Kingstone undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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