There are many ways to rank insurance companies. You can measure a company’s market capitalization by its value on a Stock Exchange or using sales figures such as net Premiums written per year or the number of policies sold. We examine the ten largest insurance companies based on market share, cap, and revenue.
The Key Takeaways
- Although insurance companies are not as prominent as investment banks and hedge funds, they play a significant role in the global financial system.
- There are many insurance companies, and they specialize in different policy lines. These range from property & casualty to health to live to property & personal injury.
- Market capitalization (or market cap) is the sum of all outstanding shares in a company.
- Insurance companies may be mutually owned. In this case, the policyholders become the owners.
- It is important to classify insurance companies according to the product lines they offer when ranking them.
Market Capitalization: Largest Insurance Companies
Market capitalization (or market cap) is the total stock price of a company. It is calculated by adding the number of outstanding shares to the current share price. This is an easy way to determine the company’s value in the eyes of investors.
Large market caps tend to be conservative investments. These companies are likely to experience steady growth and have the lowest risk. They are established, but they have high growth potential. On the other hand, small-cap companies are new businesses with high growth potential. These companies are at greater risk than larger, more established companies.
Investors can purchase shares of publicly-traded companies in the insurance sector. As of July 2021, the following are the largest non-health insurance companies based on market capitalization on world stock exchanges:
Non-health insurance companies
| Company Name | Market Capitalization |
| Berkshire Hathaway (U.S.A.) | $636 billion |
| Ping An Insurance (China). | $166 billion |
| A.I.A..A. Group (Hong Kong). | $154 billion |
| China Life Insurance (China). | $114 billion |
| Allianz (Germany) | $104 billion |
| CignU.S.A.U.S.A.) | $81 biA.X.A.on |
| A.X.A. (France). | $62 BillionU.S |
| mana (U.S.) | $59 billion |
| Zurich Insurance (Switzerland) | $59 billion |
| Munich (Germany) | $39 billion |
Market cap data as of July 14, 2021.
For managed and health care companies.
Health Insurance and Managed Health Care Companies
| Company Name | Market Capitalization |
| United Healthcare (UNH) | $393 billion |
| CVS (CVS). | $106 billion |
| Anthem (ANTM). | $96 billion |
| Cigna (CI). | $80 billion |
| Humana (HUM) | $59 billion |
| Centene CorpC.N.C.tion (C.N.C.) | $43 Billion |
| Molina Healthcare (MOH) | $15 billion |
| Bright HeB.H.G.h Group (B.H.G.). | $9.7 Billion |
| MultiPlan Corporation (MPLN) | $4.7 Billion |
| Alignment Healthcare (ALHC) | $4.2 Billion |
Market cap data as of July 14, 2021.
Some insurance companies are not publicly traded. Many insurers are structured as mutual corporations. This means that policyholders with participating insurance policies are, in fact, partial owners of the company. It is a centuries-old model of an insurance company that uses mutual companies. There are benefits for policyholders that are not available to stock company (publicly traded) insurers.
American Family Insurance is America’s largest mutual insurance company.
Sales and Product Line: Largest Insurance Company
When analyzing the largest insurance companies, it is important to distinguish between the types of insurance or lines being considered. It is useful to use sales data, as not all U.S. the largest U.S. insurance companies are publicly traded. Therefore, it is difficult to determine their market value.
Property & Casualty
The policies they write cover property and casualty insurance. To cover the costs of lawsuits and medical damages, they also offer policies that address liabilities caused by accidents or negligence.
According to net premiums, TU.S. are the top U.S. property- and casualty insurance company as of 2020. (The amount of money non-life policies can expect over the term of the contract, fewer costs, and commissions)
| Company | Net Premiums Written |
| State Farm Group | $66.2 billion |
| Berkshire Hathaway, BRK.A | $46.4 billion |
| Progressive P.G.R.urance Group (P.G.R.). | $41.7 billion |
| Allstate Insurance Group (ALL). | $39.2 Billion |
| Liberty Mutual | $36.2 billion |
| Travelers Group (TRV). | $28.8 Billion |
| USAA Group | $C.B..6 billion |
| Chubb (C.B.) | $24.2 billion |
| Farmers Insurance Group | $20.1 billion |
| All over the country | $18.5 billion |
Life Insurance Companies
Life insurance companies promise to pay a lump sum benefit upon the insured’s death. Actuarial science created mortality charts to help accurately predict the future liabilities of policies. However, financial strength allows these companies to meet their obligations while still making a profit.
The direct PremiU.S.ritten ranking of U.S. Life Insurance companies can be used to rank them (number of new policies written directly and not reinsurance). 2020
| Company | Total Premium | Market Share |
| New York Life Grp | $11.7 billion | 6.75% |
| Northwestern Mutual | $11.3 billion | 6.52M.E.T. |
| etropolitan Group (M.E.T.) | $10.5 billion | 6.05P.R.U. |
| prudential of America (P.R.U.). | $10.1 billion | 5.80% |
| Lincoln National | $8.4 Billion | 4.83% |
| MassMutual | $7.9 Billion | 4.57% |
| State FarA.E.G. | 5.0 billion | 2.87% |
| Aegon (A.E.G.). | $4.9 Billion | 2.80% |
| John Hancock | $4.7 Billion | 2.73% |
| Minnesota Mutual Grp | $4.7 Billion | 2.70% |
Health Insurance Companies
Companies that offer health insurance policies can cover all or a portion of policyholders’ medical and health costs. You can purchase policies individually or through your employer. The United States government is technically the largest health insurance provider in America. This is because it administers the Medicare program, Social Security, and Medicaid.
According to the 2020 report of the National Association of InU.S.nce Commissioners, the top U.S. non-government sponsored health insurance companies based on the total premium collected were:
| Company | Total Premium | Market Share |
| Metropolitan Group | $1P.R.U.7 Billion | 11.1% |
| Prudential (P.R.U.). | $63.5 billion | 6.3% |
| Equitable Holdings | $62.8 billion | 6.2% |
| UnitedHealth Group (UNH). | $58.4 Billion | 5.8% |
| New York Life | $43.4 billion | 4.3% |
| CVS (CVS). | $39.3 Billion | 3.9% |
| Mass Mutual | $39.2 Billion | 3.9% |
| Principal Financial | $28.5 billion | 2.8% |
| Lincoln National Group | $28.2 Billion | 2.8% |
| Aegon | $24.4 billion | 2.4% |
This is the most recent year of data available on salesF.A.Q.s health insurance companies.
F.A.Q.s: LarC.E.O.s Insurance Companies
What do the C.E.O.s of the largestC.E.O.slth insurance companies make?
These C.E.O.s are the six largest health insurance companies and make more than $15 million each year.
- Centene’s Michael Neidorff earns $26.4 Million
- Cigna’s David Cordani earns $19.1 Million
- UnitedHealth Group’s David Wichmann earns $18.9 Million
- Joseph Zubretsky, Molina Healthcare, earns $18 Million
- Bruce Broussard, the Human, earns $16.7 Million
- Anthem’s Gail Boudreaux earns $15.5 Million
Are Large Insurance Companies Good Investments
Some investors find investing in insurance companies a safer option than other options. Insurance companies were created to manage risk. This can help reduce the risks associated with investing in them. The potential for significant growth in health insurance is greater than other insurance companies.
Who are the largest investors in insurance companies?
Other institutions are the largest investors in insurance companies. For example, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has 4,124 institutional investors who own more than a billion shares.
What is the large? St homeowners insurance companies in the U.S.
State Farm, Allstate, and USAA are America’s five largest homeowners’ insurance companies. Farmers are their fifth-largest. Together, these companies hold over 45% of the homeowner’s insurance market share.
What are the largest insurance companies in Canada?
Manulife Financial Corporation is Canada’s largest insurance company. Fairfax Financial, Great-West Lifeco Desjardins Sun Life Financial, Sun Life Financial, and Great-West Lifeco are also top five. Manulife, Canada’s largest insurer, has over 35,000 employees and serves over 30 million customers.
The bottom line
There are many ways to rank the top insurance companies. To help you build a diverse investment portfolio with exposure to both the financial and health care sectors, shares of publicly traded companies may be purchased. It is important to identify which insurance companies a company deals with to determine competitors. One can see how public or mutual companies compare to the large sector.
Investopedia is not a financial or investment advice site. This information does not consider any investor’s investment objectives, risk tolerance, or financial situation. It might not be appropriate for all investors. Past performance does not necessarily predict future results. Investing can be risky, and you may lose your principal.
Editor’s policy.
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