Life Insurance Corporation of India
NSE: LICICompany page on Cofacto
Open the Life Insurance Corporation of India page

LICI Q2 FY27 Results Analysis: VNB Margin Expands 470 bps, PAT Jumps 20%

Cofacto Research Published November 05, 2026 4 min read
Positive

Life Insurance Corporation of India's Q2 FY27 numbers came in strong, with revenue of Rs. 147,018.18 Cr (+16.24% YoY) and PAT growth of +20.12% YoY. Here's a quick read of what worked, what to watch, and what management said.

Quick Details
Results dateNovember 05, 2026
Revenue (Q2)Rs. 147,018.18 Cr (+16.24% YoY)
PAT (Q2)Rs. 12,076.02 Cr (+20.12% YoY)

Quarter Snapshot

LICI delivered 16.24% net premium growth and 20.12% PAT growth in Q2 FY27, with H1 Net VNB margin up 470 bps YoY to 22.3% and the EoM ratio improving to 10.23%, keeping the mid-20s VNB margin target for end-FY27 on track. Sequential persistency softening, decelerating APE growth, market-share erosion, and mark-to-market drag on the fair value account are the key watch-points.

Q2 FY27 Expectations vs Results

DriverExpected before resultsWhat happenedVerdict
Revenue"In-line to modestly ahead, with mix risk"; LIC lagging privates in NBPNet premium +16.24% YoY (Q2), +11.64% H1; individual NBP +14.86% — ahead of the "in-line" base case — betterPlayed out
RFR/yield flips to headwind; debt MTM losses on rising G-sec yields"a rising-yield quarter generates debt MTM losses"Yield with unrealised gains 4.10% in Q2 (vs 15.04% Q1); debit fair-value account — MTM losses materialized, though core yield rose to 9.04%Played out
Equity MTM / ULIP headwind; mix build stalls"works against the equity MTM line and ULIP-linked fee income"Non-par individual APE −5.98% YoY; policies −2.25%; IEV −1.95% — mix risk materializedPlayed out
Expense ratio stays pressured (GST/ITC)"compressing pressure, not relief"EoM ratio improved to 10.23% (Q2) / 10.41% (H1), −87 bps YoYContradicted
Margin path mix-dependent, less assumption-dependentMargin expansion continues but harder-wonVNB margin 22.3% H1 (+470 bps YoY), though below Q1's 22.9% discrete readingPartially
Watch: VNB bridge decompositionRequested in pre-call watch-listNot disclosed in the filing — open for the earnings callNot observable
Watch: banca vs "surpass last year"Q1 was +5.25%7.53% share of individual NBP, +21.44% growth — surpassedPlayed out
Watch: 13M persistency post ticket-size hike"whether the promised improvement shows"Policy-basis 13M 67.58% H1 vs 63.36% H1 FY26 improved YoY, but discrete Q2 67.67% is below Q1's 70.38%Partially

Read our full results preview.

Management Guidance vs Delivery

What management saidWhereWhat happenedVerdict
Product/channel diversification strategy on track; non-par at ~one-third of individual APEPress release (CEO)Non-par share 34.03% H1 FY27 vs 36.31% H1 FY26 — still ≈ one-third, but absolute non-par APE fell 5.98% YoY (Rs.5,861 cr vs Rs.6,234 cr) — share level) / Contradicted (direction of non-par APEConfirmed
VNB margin trend "always upward from Q1 to Q4"Q2 FY26 earnings call (Appointed Actuary/management)H1 margin 22.3% above FY26's 21.2% full-year figureConfirmed
Group business momentumPress releaseGroup premium +19.62% H1; group APE +13.55% (Rs.13,472 cr)Confirmed
ULIP recovery upon market normalizationPrior earnings-call guidanceNot separately disclosed in this filingToo Early

Key Numbers, Quarter by Quarter

MetricFY26 (year)H1 FY26Q1 FY27Q2 FY27H1 FY27
Net VNB margin %21.217.622.9n/d22.3
Solvency ratio2.352.132.422.352.35
EoM ratio %11.9111.2810.6310.2310.41
Yield (PH fund, w/o unrealised) %8.928.90 (H1)8.289.048.67
Gross NPA % (PH fund)1.211.341.211.161.16

Key Investment Insights

Key Positives

  • Net premium income grew 16.24% YoY to Rs.147,018.18 cr in Q2, with single premium up 34.6% to Rs.68,402.86 cr
  • Standalone PAT grew 20.12% YoY to Rs.12,076.02 cr; H1 PAT up 21.52% to Rs.25,568.05 cr
  • Net VNB margin expanded 470 bps YoY to 22.3% in H1 FY27; Net VNB grew 33.95% to Rs.6,846 cr
  • Expenses of management fell 1.13% YoY against 16.24% premium growth; EoM ratio improved to 10.23% (Q2) from 12.03% (Q2 FY26)
  • Group premium grew 19.62% YoY to Rs.1,13,594 cr; group APE +13.55%
  • Gross NPA ratio on policyholders' fund improved to 1.16% from 1.34% a year ago; solvency ratio 2.35 vs 2.13 YoY
  • Banca/alternate channel individual NBP grew 21.44%, share at 7.53% vs 7.12%
  • Individual protection APE grew 58.59% YoY to Rs.157 cr

Risk Factors

  • 13-month policy-basis persistency slipped to 67.67% from 70.38% in Q1 FY27; 61-month fell to 55.50% from 61.27%
  • Total APE growth decelerated to 5.72% from 8.22% in Q1; non-par individual APE fell 5.98% YoY
  • FYPI market share eroded to 58.77% from 59.41% H1 FY26
  • Mark-to-market drag: yield on policyholders' funds with unrealised gains fell to 4.10% in Q2 vs 15.04% in Q1; fair value account swung to a Rs.524,926.09 cr debit
  • Indian Embedded Value declined 1.95% YoY to Rs.7,97,378 cr; individual policies sold fell 2.25%
  • Pension Non-Participating segment surplus fell 29.4% YoY despite net premium rising to Rs.31,517.58 cr
Share on X · LinkedIn · WhatsApp

Disclaimer: This results analysis is published for educational and informational purposes only. It is not investment advice, not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security.

Powered by Cofacto — AI research platform for Indian stocks, every claim cited from primary filings

Login Now