(Updates to add stock movement in the headline and the last paragraph)
QBE Insurance Group (ASX:QBE) logged $0.683 in adjusted earnings per share for the first half, compared with $0.655 a year ago, a Friday filing showed.
Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of AU$0.69.
For the six months ended June 30, gross written premium was $15.14 billion versus $13.82 billion previously, the Australia-listed insurance company added. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected AU$15.08 billion.
The board declared an interim dividend of AU$0.33 per share, up from AU$0.31 a year earlier, payable Oct. 2 to shareholders on record as of Aug. 25.
The company expects a combined operating ratio of around 93% and constant-currency gross written premium growth in the mid-single digits in 2026.
The company's shares fell around 5% in recent Friday trade.