London, June 26, 2026, 16:04 BST
- Admiral was up 1.5% at 3,512p near 1604 BST, just off session highs. The FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) was lower.
- UK comprehensive car insurance prices gained 1% in the latest quarter, snapping a run of declines since late 2023.
- RBC trimmed its target on Admiral to 3,450p last week, but the shares stayed above that level.
- The stock is still about 4.7% under its 52-week high. Dividend yield is near 4.5%.
Admiral Group plc (LON:ADM) gained Friday, moving higher even as the rest of London lagged. Fresh UK motor-insurance price numbers pushed investors to shrug off last week’s broker downgrade. The London Stock Exchange traded as usual from 0800 to 1630 BST.
Admiral (ADM:LON) was last seen at 3,512p, up 52p, or 1.5%, at 1604 BST. Shares started the session at 3,468p and came within two pence of their high for the day. The price stayed 4.7% off the 52-week peak at 3,686p. Google Finance gave the market cap at £10.74 billion, P/E at 14.47 and a 4.52% dividend yield.
FTSE 100 traded down 0.4% at 10,486.81 in the afternoon. Admiral rose 0.87% to 3,490p at 1550 BST, making it one of the day’s gainers. Patrick Munnelly at Tickmill Group said investors moving into defensives are “reducing economic sensitivity”. Scottishwidows
Admiral investors may have missed that UK motor premiums are no longer dropping. The Confused.com car insurance price index, using WTW data, updated on June 24, found average UK comprehensive cover at £719, an increase of £8 or 1% in three months. That’s still £38, or 5%, below levels a year ago.
Admiral shares have come under pressure after worries that price cuts set for 2025 could hurt earnings before margins recover from higher rates. RBC Capital Markets last week cut its rating on Admiral to “sector perform” from “outperform” and dropped its one-year price target to 3,450p from 3,560p. RBC is forecasting group pretax profit to slip 8% in 2026, while management expects profit to stay about flat. Insurance Business
RBC said it doesn’t expect margin or volume benefits from higher rates in the first half of 2026, calling that window “too soon to see the benefits.” The firm lifted its UK motor combined-ratio forecast for the period to 85.6% from 83.6%. The latest premium numbers don’t end the argument over margins, but bulls now have a stronger talking point than last week. Investing
Claims cost is the other side of the deal. Confused.com reported that the average claim paid out climbed 42% between 2020 and 2025 to £5,464. Matt Crole Rees, motor general manager at Confused.com, said when drivers file claims, it’s “more expensive for insurers to rectify”. Confused
Admiral’s latest figures offer some support for the stock. The company posted 2025 pretax profit from continuing operations of £957.9 million, up 16%. Insurance revenue rose 9% to £4.98 billion and group risks climbed 7% to 11.8 million. Chief Executive Milena Mondini de Focatiis said 2025 was “an exceptional year for Admiral”. Admiral Group Plc
Admiral Group Plc paid out a 205p dividend for 2025 and closed the year with a post-dividend solvency ratio at 193%. UK insurance risks climbed 9% to 9.6 million. UK motor pricing is still the big driver for earnings, despite the company increasing loans and building up Europe and non-motor lines.
Admiral is pushing further outside personal motor. It wrapped up its £80 million buyout of Flock, a digital commercial fleet insurer with its own telematics system, on June 1. Admiral said it also rolled out a new haulage fleet insurance product showing strong early demand. Flock CEO Ed Leon Klinger said joining Admiral would connect Flock’s tech platform to Admiral’s scale.
