Still strong buys despite the Asian slowdown

Article Excerpt

These two insurers offer investors growth prospects, as well as high yields. Meanwhile, rising interest rates are generally good for insurers. They write policies, collect premiums from customers, and then invest those premiums to meet future claims. They’re required to invest significant amounts of that money in fixed-income instruments, namely bonds. That means rising interest rates are a boon to their returns. They also position the shareholders of those insurers for further dividend hikes. Both these stocks are buys. MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP., $23.34, is a buy. This safety-conscious blue-chip company (Toronto symbol MFC; Shares o/s: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $45.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.7%; www.manulife.ca) is one of Canada’s largest life insurers. It also sells other forms of insurance, including health, dental and travel plans; its mutual funds and investment management services further diversify its revenue stream. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $1.3 trillion in assets under administration. Increasingly, markets outside of Canada—especially Asia (35% of earnings)—contribute to its…