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Weekly Industrial Alliance (IAG) stock rating prices target

Posted by Rey Renolds Tuesday, February 26, 2013 0 comments
Weekly Industrial Alliance (IAG) stock rating prices target : A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Industrial Alliance (TSE: IAG) recently:

  •     Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at TD Securities from $34.00 to $38.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
        Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at CIBC from $35.00 to $41.00.
        Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at National Bank Financial from $30.00 to $37.00.
        Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at RBC Capital from $29.00 to $35.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.

  •     Industrial Alliance Insurance had its “sector underperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Scotiabank.
        Industrial Alliance Insurance was upgraded by analysts at National Bank Financial from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating.
  •     Industrial Alliance Insurance was downgraded by analysts at Canaccord Genuity from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. They now have a $40.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $42.00.
  •     Industrial Alliance Insurance had its “sector perform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at CIBC. They now have a $11.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $19.00.

Shares of Industrial Alliance opened at 36.40 on Tuesday. Industrial Alliance has a one year low of $20.55 and a one year high of $39.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $35.05. The company has a market cap of $3.309 billion and a P/E ratio of 10.60.

Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. (Industrial Alliance) is a life and health insurance company.

Insurance stock focus today AIG, HIG shares

Posted by Rey Renolds 0 comments
best insurance stocks today - Insurance stock focus today AIG, HIG shares : Financial Sector of Property & Casualty Insurance Industry stocks are in focus, as its stocks were gaining high volume during the previous trade. American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) remained a top volume gainer in its industry and was showing a negative trend during the previous trading session. Also, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG) was in focus of investors and it was showing bearish movement during the previous trade.

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) reported that, for the fourth quarter of 2012, a net loss of $4.0 billion, or $2.68 per diluted share, in comparison to the prior year same quarter net income of $21.5 billion, or $11.31 per diluted share. Net income was $3.4 billion, or $2.04 per diluted share, for the fiscal year 2012 versus the fiscal year 2011 of $20.6 billion, or $11.01 per diluted share.

Financial Sector stock, American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) reported the plunge of -3.62% and closed at $37.06 with the total traded volume of 26.91 million shares. The stock’s opening price was $38.89. The company has a total of 1.48 billion outstanding shares and its total market capitalization is $54.71 billion.

52-week price range of the stock remained $27.18 – $39.90, while during last trade its minimum price was $36.86 and it gained its highest price of $38.93.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG) declared for the fourth quarter 2012, a net loss of $46 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, in comparison to the prior year same duration net income of $118 million, or $0.23 per diluted share.

Property & Casualty Insurance company showing negative momentum during previous trade, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG) reported the decline of -4.32% after opening at the price of $24.29, while its closing price for the day was $23.05.

HIG’s total trading volume for the day was 8.92 million shares, versus its average volume of 5.65 million shares. Company’s current market capitalization stands at $10.20 billion along with 442.50 million shares.

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Zacks estimates Willis Group Holdings EPS

Posted by Rey Renolds Thursday, February 14, 2013 0 comments
Best insurance stock today - Zacks estimates Willis Group Holdings EPS : Willis Group Holdings plc (WSH - Analyst Report) reported fourth-quarter 2012 adjusted net income from continuing operations of 45 cents per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Results were in line with the year-ago earnings.

Including goodwill impairment charge of $2.62 per share, write-off of unamortized cash retention awards of 79 cents, 2012 cash bonus accrual of $1 per share, insurance recovery of 2 cents, loss on disposal of operations of 1 cent, deferred tax valuation allowance of 64 cents and dilutive impact of potentially issuable shares of 6 cents, Willis Group incurred a loss of $4.65 per share, compared with an income of 14 cents in the prior-year quarter.

Operational Performance

Total revenue in the quarter increased 6.3% year over year to $871 million due to higher commissions and fees. Commissions and fees improved 7% year over year to $867 million in the quarter.

Investment income plummeted 100% year over year to $4 million, attributable to lower net yields on cash and cash equivalents.

Total expense shot up 123% year over year to $1.6 billion, primarily due to an increase in salaries and benefits, and goodwill impairment charge.

In the quarter under review, adjusted operating income was $166 million, up 8.5% year over year. Operating margin expanded 40 basis points to 19.1%.

Quarterly Segment Update

Global: Organic growth in commissions and fees was 11.6% in the quarter, while reported growth was 11.3%. Organic growth was primarily driven by better results across all lines of business.

Operating margin was 19.7%, expanding 340 basis points year over year.

North America: Commissions and fees, on an organic basis, grew 5%, while on a reported basis grew 4.7%.

Operating margin in the quarter contracted 250 basis points to 17.2%.

International: On an organic basis, commissions and fees increased 7.4% year over year, while on a reported basis, it increased 6.4%. Latin America reported strong double-digit growth, while Europe and UK reported mid-single digit growth. Asia recorded low single-digit growth.

Operating margin was 23.6%, contracting 270 basis points.

Full year Highlights

Adjusted net income from continuing operations of $2.58 per share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings declined 5.8% over 2011.

Including goodwill impairment charge of $2.60 per share, write-off of unamortized cash retention awards of 78 cents, 2012 cash bonus accrual of 99 cents, insurance recovery of 3 cents, loss on disposal of operations of 2 cents, India JV settlement of 6 cents, write-off of uncollectible accounts receivable balance and legal fees of 5 cents, deferred tax valuation allowance of 64 cents and the dilutive impact of potentially issuable shares of 6 cents, Willis Group incurred a loss of $2.58 per share, compared with an income of $1.15 in 2011.

Cost Savings Initiative

Management is reviewing the organizational design and expects to reduce headcount. The review will be completed in the first quarter of 2013. As a result Willis Group expects to incur a pre-tax charge of about $35 million to $45 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Nevertheless, beginning in the second quarter, the company expects to realize cost savings, primarily through headcount reduction, of approximately $20 million to $25 million in 2013. Moreover, it expects annualized cost savings of approximately $25 million to $30 million.

Financial Update

Willis exited 2012 with cash and cash equivalents of $500 million, up 14.7% year over year.

Long-term debt slid 0.7% to $2.3 billion from 2011 end.

Cash flow from operating activities in 2012 was $524 million, up 19.4%.

Dividend Update

In Feb 2013, the board of directors approved a 3.7% increase in the quarterly cash dividend. Willis will pay the increased dividend of 28 cents on Apr 15, 2013 to shareholders of record as on Mar 29, 2013. The annualized dividend comes to $1.12 per share.

Performance of other insurance brokers

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC - Analyst Report) reported its fourth-quarter 2012 operating earnings of 52 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

However, the results were slightly higher than the year-ago quarter’s earnings of 46 cents per share.

Arthur J Gallagher & Co. (AJG - Snapshot Report) reported earnings of 39 cents in the fourth quarter, a penny above the Zacks Consensus Estimate and up 11% year over year.

Aon plc (AON - Snapshot Report) posted earnings of $1.27 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.6% and the year-ago earnings by 31%.

Zacks Rank

Willis Group currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)

UIHC insurance will release financial result Q4 February 27 2013

Posted by Rey Renolds 0 comments
UIHC insurance will release financial result Q4 February 27 2013 :  United Insurance Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: UIHC) (the Company), a property and casualty insurance holding company, announced today that it expects to release its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012, after the market closes on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. The Company will conduct its quarterly conference call to discuss those results and review the outlook for the Company on Thursday, February 28, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Company invites interested parties to participate in the conference call.

Webcast
To listen to the live webcast, please go to www.upcic.com (“Events and Presentations”) and click on the conference call link, or go to: http://upcic.equisolvewebcast.com. This webcast will be archived and accessible through the Company’s website for approximately 30 days following the call.

About UIHC and UPC Insurance
Founded in 1999, UIHC is an insurance holding company that sources, writes and services residential property and casualty insurance policies using a network of independent agents and a group of wholly owned insurance subsidiaries. UPC Insurance, the primary operating subsidiary of UIHC, writes and services property and casualty insurance in Florida, South Carolina, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and was recently licensed to write in North Carolina. From its headquarters in St. Petersburg, UPC Insurance’s team of dedicated professionals manages a completely integrated insurance company, including sales, underwriting, customer service and claims.

Zurich Insurance Net capital gains on investments 2012

Posted by Rey Renolds 0 comments
Best Insurance stock - Zurich Insurance Net capital gains on investments 2012 : Zurich Insurance Group AG, Switzerland’s biggest insurer, said fourth-quarter profit rose 82 percent after higher capital gains on investments.

Net income increased to $983 million from $540 million a year earlier, the Zurich-based company said today in a statement. That beat the $521.1 million average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Business operating profit fell to $540 million from $983 million in the year-earlier quarter.


Zurich Insurance will keep its dividend unchanged at an 11- year high of 17 Swiss francs ($18.52) a share, after increasing the payout to that level in 2010. Net capital gains on debt and equity investments were $1.04 billion in the fourth quarter compared with a loss of $78 million in the year-earlier period.

“Results were better than expected, but only on the bottom line, which was clearly due to higher realized capital gains,” said Daniel Bischof, a Zurich-based analyst with Helvea. “For me the operating profit is more important, and there they were rather disappointing because of the general insurance business.”

Net capital gains on investments totaled $2.2 billion in 2012, driven by sales of debt and equity securities.

“We continue to execute our proven strategy, growing our business in emerging markets while delivering a resilient performance in mature markets,” Chief Executive Officer Martin Senn said in the statement today. “This strong underlying profitability ensures we remain well positioned to continue to deliver for our customers, employees and shareholders in 2013.”(source http://www.bloomberg.com )

The negative side of bank mortgage insurance

Posted by Rey Renolds Tuesday, February 5, 2013 0 comments
The negative side of bank mortgage insurance : Mortgage life insurance isn’t very popular and it has more than a few detractors. For one thing, the premium payments typically remain constant even though your death benefit drops. What seemed like a bargain when you first took the insurance, and your mortgage, becomes less so as the loan balance and the insurance death benefit drop.

Another concern is that the insurance benefit will be payable to your lender upon your death, not to your dependents. That limits the desirability of having this type of insurance.

While it may be good to have your mortgage paid off upon your death, your dependents may have other, more pressing concerns. They will not be able to address those concerns with a mortgage life insurance policy. read How does mortgage life insurance work

Is it worth having?

For most people mortgage life insurance shouldn’t be necessary. You can instead take the largest term life insurance policy you can afford and use part of the proceeds to payoff the mortgage on your home at your death, if that’s what you and your survivors agree upon. However your dependents will not be locked into paying off the mortgage, should they decide against doing so.

A straight term life insurance policy give them the flexibility to allocate the money wherever it’s most needed. Maybe that’s the mortgage, and maybe it’s not, but they’ll have that option.

If you don’t have a whole lot of confidence that your survivors will allocate the life insurance proceeds wisely, then mortgage life insurance can be a consideration. Since the proceeds will be allocated directly to payoff the mortgage event of your death, you will be able to know that it will happen as you wish.

Your survivors might still blow through other insurance proceeds, but at least you can know that the mortgage on a house will be paid for.


How does mortgage life insurance work

Posted by Rey Renolds 0 comments
best insurance stock - How does mortgage life insurance work : The best way to think of mortgage life insurance is that it is term life insurance with a single purpose: to payoff your mortgage in the event of your death.

A mortgage life insurance policy is tied to your mortgage in almost every way. At the time that you take your mortgage, whether on a purchase or refinance, the death benefit on insurance policy is set up to match the amount of your mortgage loan.

However, the death benefit will decline as your mortgage is paid down. Once your mortgage is paid off, the life insurance goes away.

In the event of your death, the proceeds of the policy will go right to your lender to payoff the mortgage on your house.

As to the specifics, there are variations depending on which insurance company you use as well as the particulars in your situation. It’s also important to remember that while a lender may recommend that you get mortgage life insurance, you are not required to get it. It is strictly optional coverage.

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