Smart growth spurs Great-West Lifeco

Article Excerpt

Dear safe-money investor, Great-West continues to report gains at all of its divisions. That’s mainly because of its conservative approach to expansion. This has kept it out of variable annuities and other stock-market-linked products that would require it to meet big future obligations, even if markets drop. It also avoided offering risky long-term care insurance. GREAT-WEST LIFECO $24.20 (Toronto symbol GWO; Shares outstanding: 950.5 million; Market cap: $23.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.1%) is Canada’s largest insurance company, with $532.0 billion in assets under administration. It also sells mutual funds, retirement-planning and wealth management services. Power Financial owns 68.2% of Great-West. In the quarter ended September 30, 2012, earnings rose 13.8%, to $520 million, or $0.55 a share. A year earlier, it earned $457 million, or $0.48 a share. Revenue rose 1.5%, to $8.6 billion from $8.5 billion. Earnings from the Canadian…