Reinsurance Group Stock Plunges 11.1% YTD: How Should You Play?

Shares of Reinsurance Group of America RGA have lost 11.1% compared with the industry’s decline of  2.5% in the year-to-date period. The  Finance sector and the Zacks S&P 500 Composite have gained 10.6% and 9.5%, respectively, in the same time frame.

The insurer has a market capitalization of $12.6 billion. The average volume of shares traded in the last three months was 0.4 million.

RGA vs Industry, Sector & S&P 500 YTD

RGA Shares are Affordable

RGA shares are trading at a discount to the industry. Its price-to-book value of 1.03X is lower than the industry average of 1.66X. However, shares of other life insurers like SunLife Financial Inc. SLF and Primerica, Inc. PRI are trading at a multiple higher than the industry average, while Manulife Financial Corp. MFC shares are trading at a discount.  

Average Target Price for RGA Suggests Upside

Based on short-term price targets offered by 11 analysts, the Zacks average price target is $239 per share. The average indicates a potential 28.3% upside from the last closing price.

Projections for RGA

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is pegged at $23.4 billion, implying a year-over-year improvement of 2.5%. The consensus estimate for RGA’s current-year earnings is pegged at $22.73 per share, up 0.7% from the year-ago reported figure. The consensus estimate for 2026 earnings per share and revenues indicates an increase of 9.8% and 12.5%, respectively, from 2025 estimates.

Bearish Analyst Sentiment on RGA

Analysts covering the stock have lowered their estimates for 2025 and 2026 over the past 30 days.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 and 2026 earnings has moved down 1.5%  and 0.5% in the past 30 days.

Key Points to Note for RGA

Reinsurance Group leads the U.S. and Latin American traditional reinsurance markets, using its expertise, innovation, and capabilities to broaden its portfolio. A mature individual mortality segment anchors stable earnings and capital generation, while the sizable in-force block is poised to deliver predictable long-term income. Ongoing product expansion further strengthens risk diversification.

Reinsurance Group leads Canada’s reinsurance market with strong growth and profitability. Its sizable in-force business supports steady earnings, while growing demand for longevity insurance offers expansion potential and hedges mortality risk.

The company’s net investment income has steadily improved, registering a 17.2% CAGR from 2016–2024, driven by a larger invested asset base, higher risk-free rates, and stronger yields from alternative and private assets. In the second quarter, investment income (net of expenses) jumped 30.1% year over year to $1.4 billion, while the average yield climbed 66 basis points to 5.3%.

Reinsurance Group benefits from a sizable in-force business that provides steady earnings and has seen long-term growth in net investment income. However, rising expenses from higher claims, interest credited, operating costs, and interest expense could pressure margins.

Debt has also increased, with long-term debt up 13.7% since 2024-end to $5.73 billion, pushing the total debt-to-capital ratio 50 bps higher to 32.1. Profitability has softened, with second-quarter 2025 adjusted operating ROE (ex-AOCI) down 100 bps to 14.3% and trailing 12-month ROE falling 320 bps year over year to 12.6%.

Conclusion

Overall, Reinsurance Group’s leadership across key markets, diversified offerings, and consistent investment income growth provide a strong earnings base and long-term growth potential. However, the benefits are tempered by sustained expense pressures, a rising debt burden, and declining returns, underscoring the need for disciplined cost control and capital management to maintain profitability in the coming periods.

Given the bearish analysts’ sentiment and price erosion, we prefer to remain cautious on this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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