TORONTO - Manulife Financial Corporation (TSX:NYSE:MFC) has finalized a reinsurance transaction with Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE:NYSE:RGA), involving two segments of its legacy long-term care (LTC) business. This deal, effective as of January 1, 2025, marks the second phase of the company's strategy to reinsure its LTC portfolio, which includes both mature and younger blocks of business. The move comes as Manulife, currently valued at $53.5 billion, demonstrates strong financial health with a perfect Piotroski Score of 9, according to InvestingPro data.
Manulife's President and CEO, Roy Gori, commented on the transaction, stating that it underscores the company's commitment to enhancing shareholder value and strategically refocusing its portfolio towards areas with higher returns and reduced risk. He also noted that the successful completion of this transaction serves as a testament to the soundness of Manulife's LTC reserves and assumptions.
Manulife, a prominent international financial services provider with global headquarters in Toronto, offers a range of financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management services. Operating under the Manulife brand in Canada, Asia, and Europe, and as John Hancock in the United States, the corporation serves over 35 million customers worldwide. As of the end of 2023, Manulife employs more than 38,000 individuals and works with over 98,000 agents across various distribution partners. The company's strong market position is reflected in its impressive 47% stock return over the past year and consistent dividend growth, having raised dividends for 11 consecutive years. InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is currently trading below its Fair Value, with 8 additional exclusive insights available to subscribers.
The financial details of the reinsurance transaction were not disclosed in the press release. This news comes following the initial announcement on November 20, 2024, where further information about the deal was made available through a news release, presentation slides, and a webcast.
The completion of this reinsurance arrangement with RGA is part of Manulife's broader business strategy, aiming to optimize its insurance portfolio and strengthen its financial position. Trading at a P/E ratio of 15.6 with a healthy dividend yield of 3.7%, Manulife maintains strong fundamentals. This information is based on a press release statement from Manulife Financial Corporation and InvestingPro data, where subscribers can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report for deeper insights into the company's valuation and growth prospects.
In other recent news, Manulife Financial Corporation reported substantial growth in its third-quarter financial results for 2024, primarily driven by a robust performance in Asia and solid contributions from its Global Wealth and Asset Management segment. The company saw a significant increase in annualized premium equivalent sales, core earnings, and new business value. Despite some adverse impacts from actuarial model revisions and global market conditions, Manulife Financial maintained a strong core return on equity and a healthy balance sheet.
The company's APE sales increased by 40%, with a 64% surge in Asia, and core earnings rose by 4%. The new business value grew by 39%, and the company generated over $12 billion in net flows, with $5 billion from Global WAM in Q3. The company also launched digital initiatives, dubbed GenAI, to enhance customer experience and returned nearly $5 billion to shareholders in the past year.
However, the company faced challenges, including a 20% decrease in APE sales in Canada and an 8% decline in core earnings in the U.S. segment. Despite these challenges, the company expects continued improvement in private equity performance and aims to achieve a core ROE of 16.3%, in line with medium-term targets. These are recent developments, and it will be interesting to observe how these factors impact the company's performance in the coming quarters.
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