Investing in insurance stocks

The big names in this industry are well-established and have a history of healthy dividends. But not all insurance categories are recession-proof and all must answer to government regulation.

What are insurance stocks?

Insurance stocks are stocks from insurance companies. A variety of subcategories exist in this industry including:

Many insurance stocks offer exposure to multiple subcategories by offering a variety of different insurance policies, like Allstate. Other companies specialize in only one type of insurance and offer a more targeted investment opportunity, like Trupanion — a pet insurance company.

Why invest in insurance stocks?

Since the products they offer can be considered a type of staple, insurance companies tend to perform well — both in times of economic strength and in times of economic hardship. Plus, well-established insurance stocks have a history of strong and steady dividends — an added bonus for investors seeking a steady return.

Many insurance stocks are considered recession-resistant. That’s because even in periods of economic downturn, people need to maintain their insurance coverage. The staying power of the industry can’t be understated; insurance has been around for hundreds of years and provides a service we’ll continue to need for the foreseeable future.

Regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status, people rely on insurance policies to protect them from risk. Ongoing demand helps bolster this industry’s ability to weather periods of recession.

Risks of investing in insurance

Insurance stocks are far from invulnerable, and the same economic conditions that safeguard some categories of insurance may put others at significant risk.

Take health insurance companies as an example. When unemployment rates rise, fewer people are employed and able to pay into employer-sponsored health insurance plans. This impacts the provider’s bottom line and has the potential to detract from the value of its stock.

Insurance providers are also subject to government regulation, which means that new legislation has the potential to impact the market in a powerful way.

Insurance stocks

There are plenty of pure-play insurance stocks available, but with numerous types of insurance on the market, you’ll need to learn more about the individual offerings of each company before you invest. Select a company to learn more about what they do and how their stock performs, including market capitalization, the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio and dividend yield. While this list includes a selection of the most well-known and popular stocks, it doesn't include every stock available.

• Allstate (ALL.US)

  Company summary

  The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. The company operates through Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; and Run-off Property-Liability segments. The Allstate Protection segment offers private passenger auto and homeowners insurance; specialty auto products, including motorcycle, trailer, motor home, and off-road vehicle insurance; other personal lines products, such as renter, condominium, landlord, boat, umbrella, and manufactured home and stand-alone scheduled personal property; and commercial lines products under the Allstate and Encompass brand names. The Protection Services segment provides consumer product protection plans and related technical support for mobile phones, consumer electronics, furniture, and appliances; finance and insurance products, including vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection waivers, road hazard tire and wheel, and paint and fabric protection; roadside assistance; device and mobile data collection services; data and analytic solutions using automotive telematics information; and identity protection services. This segment offers its products under various brands including Allstate Protection Plans, Allstate Dealer Services, Allstate Roadside Services, Arity, and Allstate Identity Protection. The Allstate Health and Benefits provides life, accident, critical illness, short-term disability, and other health insurance products. The Run-off Property-Liability offers property and casualty insurance. It sells its products through call centers, agencies, financial specialists, independent agents, brokers, wholesale partners, and affinity groups, as well as through online and mobile applications. The Allstate Corporation was founded in 1931 and is based in Northbrook, Illinois.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $34495176704
  • P/E ratio: 41.4351
  • PEG ratio: 3.397
  • Dividend yield: 0.0266%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy ALL.US stock

• Assurant (AIZ.US)

  Company summary

  Assurant, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides lifestyle and housing solutions that support, protect, and connect consumer purchases in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through two segments: Global Lifestyle and Global Housing. The Global Lifestyle segment offers mobile device solutions, and extended service products and related services for mobile devices, consumer electronics, and appliances; vehicle protection and related services; and credit protection and other insurance products. The Global Housing segment provides lender-placed homeowners insurance, manufactured housing, and flood insurance; and renters insurance and related products, as well as voluntary manufactured housing insurance, voluntary homeowners insurance, and other specialty products. The company was formerly known as Fortis, Inc. and changed its name to Assurant, Inc. in February 2004. Assurant, Inc. was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $7777603072
  • P/E ratio: 17.237
  • PEG ratio: 1.46
  • Dividend yield: 0.0184%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy AIZ.US stock

• Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG.US)

  Company summary

  The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers workers' compensation, property, automobile, liability, umbrella, bond, marine, livestock, and reinsurance; and customized insurance products and risk management services, including professional liability, bond, surety, and specialty casualty coverages through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers. The company's Personal Lines segment provides automobile, homeowners, and personal umbrella coverages through direct-to-consumer channel and independent agents. Its Property & Casualty Other Operations segment offers coverage for asbestos and environmental exposures. The company's Group Benefits segment provides group life, disability, and other group coverages to members of employer groups, associations, and affinity groups through direct insurance policies; reinsurance to other insurance companies; employer paid and voluntary product coverages; disability underwriting, administration, and claims processing to self-funded employer plans; and a single-company leave management solution. This segment distributes its group insurance products and services through brokers, consultants, third-party administrators, trade associations, and private exchanges. Its Hartford Funds segment offers investment products for retail and retirement accounts; exchange-traded products through broker-dealer organizations, independent financial advisers, defined contribution plans, financial consultants, bank trust groups, and registered investment advisers; and investment management and administrative services, such as product design, implementation, and oversight. The company was founded in 1810 and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $20008953856
  • P/E ratio: 10.201
  • PEG ratio: 1.41
  • Dividend yield: 0.0249%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy HIG.US stock

• Lincoln National Corporation (LNC.US)

  Company summary

  Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Annuities, Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. The Annuities segment offers fixed, variable, and indexed variable annuities. The Retirement Plan Services segment provides employers with retirement plan products and services primarily in the defined contribution retirement plan marketplace. This segment offers individual and group variable annuities, group fixed annuities, and mutual fund-based programs; and a range of plan services, including plan recordkeeping, compliance testing, participant education, and trust and custodial services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, such as single and survivorship versions of universal life insurance; variable universal life insurance; indexed universal life insurance products; and critical illness and long-term care riders. The Group Protection segment offers group non-medical insurance products comprising short and long-term disability, statutory disability and paid family medical leave administration and absence management services, term life, dental, vision and accident, and critical illness benefits and services to the employer marketplace through various forms of employee-paid and employer-paid plans. The company distributes its products through consultants, brokers, planners, agents, financial advisors, third-party administrators, and other intermediaries. Lincoln National Corporation was founded in 1905 and is based in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $7598888448
  • P/E ratio: 9.2422
  • PEG ratio: 1.24
  • Dividend yield: 0.0403%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy LNC.US stock

• Markel Corporation (MKL.US)

  Company summary

  Markel Corporation, a diverse financial holding company, markets and underwrites specialty insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Its Insurance segment offers general and professional liability, personal lines, marine and energy, specialty programs, and workers' compensation insurance products; and property coverages that include fire, allied lines, and other specialized property coverages, including catastrophe-exposed property risks, such as earthquake and wind. This segment also offers credit and surety products, and collateral protection insurance products. The company's Reinsurance segment offers transaction, healthcare, and environmental impairment liability; and specialty treaty reinsurance products comprising structured and whole turnover credit, political risk, mortgage and contract, and commercial surety reinsurance programs. Its Markel Ventures segment provides equipment used in baking systems and food processing; portable dredges; over-the-road car haulers and transportation equipment; and laminated oak and composite wood flooring, tube and tank trailers, as well as ornamental plants and residential homes, handbags, and architectural products. This segment also provides consulting, and other types of services to businesses and consumers, including distribution of exterior building products, crane rental, fire protection, and life safety services, management and technology consulting, and retail intelligence services. The company's Other segment provides healthcare, leasing and investment services, as well as operates as an insurance and investment fund manager offering a range of investment products, including insurance-linked securities, catastrophe bonds, insurance swaps, and weather derivatives; and program services. it also manages funds with third parties. Markel Corporation was founded in 1930 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $14899174400
  • P/E ratio: 622.3559
  • PEG ratio: 0.7383
  • Dividend yield: 0%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy MKL.US stock

• MetLife (MET.US)

  Company summary

  MetLife, Inc., a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through five segments: U.S.; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements. It also provides pension risk transfers, institutional income annuities, structured settlements, and capital markets investment products; and other products and services, such as life insurance products and funding agreements for funding postretirement benefits, as well as company, bank, or trust-owned life insurance used to finance nonqualified benefit programs for executives. In addition, it provides fixed, indexed-linked, and variable annuities; and pension products; regular savings products; whole and term life, endowments, universal and variable life, and group life products; longevity reinsurance solutions; credit insurance products; and protection against long-term health care services. MetLife, Inc. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $49340403712
  • P/E ratio: 15.6608
  • PEG ratio: 4.6881
  • Dividend yield: 0.031%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy MET.US stock

• Principal Financial Group (PFG.US)

  Company summary

  Principal Financial Group, Inc. provides retirement, asset management, and insurance products and services to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients worldwide. The company operates through Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Global Investors, Principal International, and U.S. Insurance Solutions segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides a portfolio of asset accumulation products and services for retirement savings and income. It offers products and services for defined contribution plans, including 401(k) and 403(b) plans, defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified executive benefit plans, employee stock ownership plans, equity compensation, and pension risk transfer services; individual retirement accounts; investment only products; and mutual funds, individual variable annuities, and bank products. The Principal Global Investors segment provides equity, fixed income, real estate, and other alternative investments, as well as asset allocation, stable value management, and other structured investment strategies. The Principal International segment offers pension accumulation products and services, mutual funds, asset management, income annuities, and life insurance accumulation products, as well as voluntary savings plans in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, India, and Southeast Asia. The U.S. Insurance Solutions segment provides specialty benefits, such as group dental and vision insurance, group life insurance, and group and individual disability insurance, as well as administers group dental, disability, and vision benefits; and individual life insurance products comprising universal, variable universal, indexed universal, and term life insurance products in the United States. It also offers insurance solutions for small and medium-sized businesses and their owners, as well as executives. Principal Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1879 and is based in Des Moines, Iowa.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $17780566016
  • P/E ratio: 4.3794
  • PEG ratio: 1.5
  • Dividend yield: 0.0354%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy PFG.US stock

• Progressive (PGR.US)

  Company summary

  The Progressive Corporation, an insurance holding company, provides personal and commercial auto, personal residential and commercial property, general liability, and other specialty property-casualty insurance products and related services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, and Property. The Personal Lines segment writes insurance for personal autos and recreational vehicles (RV). This segment's products include personal auto insurance; and special lines products, including insurance for motorcycles, ATVs, RVs, watercrafts, snowmobiles, and related products. The Commercial Lines segment provides auto-related primary liability and physical damage insurance, and business-related general liability and property insurance for autos, vans, pick-up trucks, and dump trucks used by small businesses; tractors, trailers, and straight trucks primarily used by regional general freight and expeditor-type businesses, and long-haul operators; dump trucks, log trucks, and garbage trucks used by dirt, sand and gravel, logging, and coal-type businesses; and tow trucks and wreckers used in towing services and gas/service station businesses; as well as non-fleet and airport taxis, and black-car services. The Property segment writes residential property insurance for homeowners, other property owners, and renters, as well as offers personal umbrella insurance, and primary and excess flood insurance. The company also offers policy issuance and claims adjusting services; and acts as an agent to homeowner general liability, workers' compensation insurance, and other products. In addition, it provides reinsurance services. The company sells its products through independent insurance agencies, as well as directly on Internet through mobile devices, and over the phone. The Progressive Corporation was founded in 1937 and is headquartered in Mayfield, Ohio.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $69556690944
  • P/E ratio: 84.9143
  • PEG ratio: 0.9393
  • Dividend yield: 0.0033%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy PGR.US stock

• Prudential Financial (PRU.US)

  Company summary

  Prudential Financial, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through eight segments: PGIM, Retirement, Group Insurance, Individual Annuities, Individual Life, Assurance IQ, International Businesses, and Closed Block. The company offers investment management services and solutions related to public fixed income, public equity, real estate debt and equity, private credit and other alternatives, and multi-asset class strategies to institutional and retail clients, as well as its general account. It also provides a range of retirement investment, and income products and services to retirement plan sponsors in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors; and group life, long-term and short-term group disability, and group corporate-, bank-, and trust-owned life insurance in the United States, primarily to institutional clients for use in connection with employee and membership benefits plans, as well as sells accidental death and dismemberment, and other supplemental health solutions; and provides plan administration services in connection with its insurance coverages. In addition, the company develops and distributes individual variable and fixed annuity products, principally to the mass affluent and affluent markets; and individual variable, term, and universal life insurance products to the mass middle, mass affluent, and affluent markets in the United States. Further, it provides third-party life, health, Medicare, property and casualty, and term life products to retail shoppers through its digital and independent agent channels. The company offers its products and services to individual and institutional customers through its proprietary and third-party distribution networks. Prudential Financial, Inc. was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $32988960768
  • P/E ratio: 16.1236
  • PEG ratio: 73.7157
  • Dividend yield: 0.0522%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy PRU.US stock

• Trupanion (TRUP.US)

  Company summary

  Trupanion, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides medical insurance for cats and dogs on a monthly subscription basis in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Australia. The company operates in two segments, Subscription Business and Other Business. It serves pet owners and veterinarians. The company was formerly known as Vetinsurance International, Inc. changed its name to Trupanion, Inc. in 2013. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $2415842304
  • PEG ratio: 0
  • Dividend yield: 0%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy TRUP.US stock

• UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH.US)

  Company summary

  UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs for preventive and acute health care services, as well as services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; health and dental benefits; and hospital and clinical services. The OptumHealth segment provides access to networks of care provider specialists, health management services, care delivery, consumer engagement, and financial services. This segment serves individuals directly through care delivery systems, employers, payers, and government entities. The OptumInsight segment offers software and information products, advisory consulting arrangements, and managed services outsourcing contracts to hospital systems, physicians, health plans, governments, life sciences companies, and other organizations. The OptumRx segment provides pharmacy care services and programs, including retail network contracting, home delivery, specialty and compounding pharmacy, and purchasing and clinical capabilities, as well as develops programs in the areas of step therapy, formulary management, drug adherence, and disease/drug therapy management. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated was incorporated in 1977 and is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

  Historical performance

  Stock information

  • Market capitalization: $480422035456
  • P/E ratio: 26.8344
  • PEG ratio: 1.6013
  • Dividend yield: 0.0129%

  Get more detailed information and learn how to buy UNH.US stock

What ETFs track the insurance category?

A variety of options exist for investors interested in insurance ETFs, from property insurance ETFs like the Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF to broader insurance ETFs that capture health, life and property insurance companies, like the SPDR S&P Insurance ETF.

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Bottom line

Insurance policies play an important role in our daily lives, and many people rely on insurance coverage to protect them from risk. Generally speaking, the industry is well-positioned to weather the highs and lows of a shifting economy, but each insurance category faces unique challenges.

Frequently asked questions

• Do insurance stocks pay dividends?

  Yes. Some that do include Assurant, Hartford Financial Services and Lincoln National.