Two top insurers with strong growth on tap

Article Excerpt

Insurers 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 high interest rates are a boon to their returns. Both these stocks offer investors growth prospects as well as high dividend yields. We see each as a buy. MANULIFE FINANCIAL, $24.97, is a buy. This safety-conscious blue-chip company (Toronto symbol MFC; Shares o/s: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $46.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 5.9%; www.manulife.ca) is one of Canada’s largest life insurers. The company also sells other forms of insurance including health, dental and travel plans; Manulife’s mutual funds and investment management services further diversify its revenue stream. On December 31, 2022, the insurer had $1.3 trillion in assets under administration. Markets outside of Canada—especially Asia (39% of earnings)—increasingly contribute to Manulife’s growth­. In the quarter ended December 31, 2022, per-share earnings rose 4.8%, to $0.88 from $0.84. Higher earnings from Canadian and Asian…