https://www.finanzen.ch/nachrichten/aktien/zurich-aktie-tiefer-kaufangebot-fuer-britischen-versicherer-beazley-unterbreitet-1035724381

$BEZ (-0,27 %)

What would you do? Sell or hold? This is the first time I've had a situation like this with shares that I hold.

The UBS recently carried out an extensive screening of the European equity market. There are a few stocks that were rated very positively by the analysts.

These include the French energy supply group Engie $ENGI (+0,71 %) the Italian logistics and postal company Poste Italiane $PST (+1,04 %) the British online real estate broker Rightmove
$RMV (+1,42 %) and the French technology service provider SPIE $SPIE (+2,27 %).

In addition, the Irish specialist insurer Beazley $BEZ (-0,27 %) the Spanish energy group Iberdrola
$IBE (+1,53 %) and the Swedish telecommunications company Telia
$TELIA (+2,7 %) are on the list.

The chances of a positive development are good - according to "Welt". Reason:

In Europe, politicians are investing massive amounts of money in infrastructure and defense while promising reforms to stimulate the economy. Added to this are interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank (ECB) and bulging savings accounts, which could flow into consumption and investment if the mood improves.

And overall, it is all about long-term growth: government investments are planned for years to come and the ECB is likely to cut interest rates even further.

The combination of government stimulus, cheap financing and private capital is providing a tailwind on the markets. There are some European ETFs that have been performing very well since the beginning of the year.

At the forefront is the Global X Euro Infrastructure Development $BRIP (+1,01 %) with a return of 23.1 percent.

Also strong is the Xtrackers Dax $DBXD. (+2,05 %)
The ETF achieves 20.3 percent and costs just 0.09 percent per year.

Also exciting is the WisdomTree Europe Defensive $EUDF (+1,95 %). With 18.9 percent since its launch in March, it has made a solid start and costs just 0.40 percent.

The classic among the European ETFs, the iShares Core Euro STOXX 50 $CSSX5E (+2,35 %)is somewhat more defensive at 11.8 percent, but scores with minimal fees. Europe is therefore back on the ETF radar.

Source (excerpt) & image: "Welt", 17.07.2025

Once again, my attention has been drawn to a share outside the mainstream. What do you think of $BEZ (-0,27 %) ? It's one of the largest providers of cyber insurance.

Shares in Beazley plc ($BEZ (-0,27 %) ) shares rose sharply today after the company announced better-than-expected half-year results and raised its forecast for the full year.

Financial highlights and market reaction:

• Return on equity (ROE)Beazley reported an impressive 28% return on equity for the first six months of the year, well ahead of analysts' expectations. This strong performance was one of the main reasons for the share price increase.
• Higher solvency and outlookUBS Global Research analysts noted that the strength of the result and higher solvency should increase expectations for year-end distributions.
• Adjusted forecastsBeazley raised its forecast for the combined ratio for the full year from originally "below the low 80s" to around 80%. The combined ratio is an important indicator in the insurance industry that measures an insurer's profitability, with a lower figure indicating higher profitability.

Analyst comments:

• Analysts at RBC Capital Markets expressed surprise at the strength of underwriting results in all segments except Specialty. They maintained their Outperform rating for Beazley shares and raised the target price to 1,000 pence.
• Despite the positive performance, RBC analysts cautioned that the increase in the full-year forecast was unusual, particularly given the upcoming hurricane season.

Other positive developments:

• Reserves and buybacksAnother highlight for investors was the company's increased reserve confidence, which rose from 85% to 88%. In addition, Beazley announced a USD 325 million share buyback program, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Overall, Beazley appears to have significantly boosted investor confidence with both a strong financial performance and positive guidance adjustments.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/beazley-shares-skyrocket-on-strong-earnings-3561423

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#earnings