United Insurance Holdings Corp. UIHC incurred fourth-quarter 2018 core loss of 2 cents per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a core loss of 3 cents. Moreover, the bottom line came in against the core income of 77 cents per share from the prior-year quarter.Full-Year HighlightsFor 2018, United Insurance delivered core income of 38 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, the bottom plunged 59.1% from the previous year’s figure.Moreover, total operating revenues of $731.6 million missed the consensus mark by 0.1% but grew 11.8% year over year.United Insurance Holdings Corp. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise United Insurance Holdings Corp. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | United Insurance Holdings Corp. QuoteQuarter in DetailOperating revenues totaled $193.1 million, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.8%. The top line also improved 6.1% year over year.Gross premiums written increased 15.7% year over year to $292.6 million in the quarter under review.Net premiums earned rose 9.4% year over year to $181.7 million.Investment income surged 41.6% to $7.5 million.Loss and loss adjustment (LAE) expense escalated 69.4% to $122.2 million while LAE expense as a percentage of net earned premiums deteriorated 2380 basis points to 67.2% in the fourth quarter.Operating and underwriting expenses jumped 34.2% to $11.6 million, attributable to higher agent incentive costs from the company’s new contingent commission program.Underlying combined ratio of 81.2% improved 630 basis points in the period under discussion.Financial UpdateCash and cash equivalents of $112.7 million as of Dec 31, 2018 were down 50.9% from the level at year-end 2017. Total shareholders’ equity of $540.4 million as of Dec 31, 2018 inched up 0.6% from the level as of Dec 31, 2017.Book value per share was $12.10 as of Dec 31, 2018, down 3.7% from the figure at year-end 2017.Core return on equity for the year ended Dec 31, 2018, came in at 3.1%, which contracted 460 basis points from the 2017-end level.Dividend UpdateDuring the fourth quarter, the board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of 6 cents per share to shareholders of record on Nov 20, 2018. The amount was paid on Nov 27, 2018.Zacks RankUnited Insurance carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Performance of Other P&C InsurersAmong other players from the same space having reported fourth-quarter earnings so far, the bottom-line numbers of MGIC Investment Corp. MTG and RLI Corp. RLI beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate while that of The Progressive Corp. PGR lagged the same.Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year?Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%.See Latest Stocks Today >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MGIC Investment Corporation (MTG): Free Stock Analysis Report The Progressive Corporation (PGR): Free Stock Analysis Report RLI Corp. (RLI): Free Stock Analysis Report United Insurance Holdings Corp. (UIHC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research