* Q1 oper EPS $1.32 vs est $1.04
* Net earned premiums up 2 pct
* Net investment income down 3 pct
April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. specialty insurer Assurant Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped mainly by growth in its employee benefits and specialty property segments.
For the first quarter, net income was $157.2 million, or $1.34 a share, compared with $80.6 million, or 68 cents a share, a year ago.
The New York-based provider of specialty home, credit and health insurance said net operating income was $1.32 a share.
Analysts were looking for a profit of $1.04 a share, before items, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net investment income fell 3 percent to $174 million, while net earned premiums were $1.90 billion, up 2 percent from last year.
Shares of the company closed at $33.69 Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva) Keywords: ASSURANT/ (supantha.mukherjee@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S.+1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters messaging: supantha.mukherjee.reuters.com@reuters.net;) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
* Net earned premiums up 2 pct
* Net investment income down 3 pct
April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. specialty insurer Assurant Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped mainly by growth in its employee benefits and specialty property segments.
For the first quarter, net income was $157.2 million, or $1.34 a share, compared with $80.6 million, or 68 cents a share, a year ago.
The New York-based provider of specialty home, credit and health insurance said net operating income was $1.32 a share.
Analysts were looking for a profit of $1.04 a share, before items, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net investment income fell 3 percent to $174 million, while net earned premiums were $1.90 billion, up 2 percent from last year.
Shares of the company closed at $33.69 Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva) Keywords: ASSURANT/ (supantha.mukherjee@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S.+1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters messaging: supantha.mukherjee.reuters.com@reuters.net;) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.