(PHLY) - Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. - results dwarfed the consensus estimate of 70 cents by an impressive 50.0%

Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. (PHLY) exceeded analysts' earnings expectations for the past three quarters, most recently by 50.0%. Consensus estimates for both this quarter and the full year have been trending higher. Earnings per share are projected to grow 15% over the next 3-5 years for this Zacks #1 Rank stock. The company has a price-to-book ratio of 3.0, compared to 5.3 for the market. Its PEG ratio currently stands at 0.88. Tags: FLR, Fluor Corporation, Stock-market, Stocks, Investing, Stock Trading, Finance, Trading, Investing Newsletter, Stock Picks, analysts estimates Full Analysis Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. designs, markets and underwrites specialty commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products for select target industries or niches. PHLY topped analysts' earnings expectations for the past three quarters by an average margin of 20.3%. Furthermore, the company met or beat the Street's estimate in 14 out of the past 15 quarters. On Jul 27, PHLY posted second-quarter profits of $1.05 per share. The result dwarfed the consensus estimate of 70 cents by an impressive 50.0%. Compared to the prior-year period, earnings soared 64.1%. Gross written premiums increased 20.1% to $341.4 million from $284.3 million for the same quarter in 2005. CEO James J. Maguire, Jr. stated, “During the quarter, our business model continued to generate excellent growth and profitability. We continued to see new business opportunities across most product lines, and renewal retention percentage levels remained at their historical high levels in the mid 90's.” For the first six months of 2006, profits experienced a 35.1% jump to $125.2 million, while gross written premiums rose 17.5% to $669.4 million when compared to the first six months of 2005. PHLY increased revenues for the past nine years and grew profits for four years running. The consensus estimate for this quarter currently sits at 72 cents. When compared to the consensus of 30 days earlier, it climbed 18.0%. Two analysts submitted upward revisions. Profit forecasts for the full year are up 4.2% to $3.22 over the same period of time and reflect upward revisions by two analysts as well. Earnings per share are projected to grow 15% over the next 3-5 years, with the industry expected to grow at a 12% clip. PHLY is currently trading at a valuation of 14.8x trailing 12-month earnings and at 12.8x current fiscal-year estimated earnings. The market, as represented by the S&P 500, is trading at a valuation of 17.2x trailing 12-month earnings and at 16.2x its current fiscal-year estimated earnings. The company has a price-to-book ratio of 3.0, compared to 5.3 for the market. Its PEG ratio currently stands at 0.88. PHLY seems to be doing quite well with the money invested by its shareholder base. Its return on equity of 24% is very respectable and is in line with the industry average. Content Courtesy: Zacks Investment Research #1 Ranked Stocks Highlight Archive To truly take advantage of the Zacks Rank, you need to first understand how it works. That is why we created the free special report: Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions. | Blog Home| VitalStocks Home