Manulife, Sun Life beat earnings forecasts

Strong growth in Asia gives insurers boost

• Two of Canada’s biggest insurance companies on Wednesday reported second- quarter earnings that beat market expectations, benefiting in part from strong growth in Asia.

Canadian insurance companies are expanding rapidly in Asia, selling products to the rapidly growing middle class. The strategy is helping the firms drive growth and diversify from domestic markets where competition is intense.

Canada’s biggest life insurer, Manulife Financial Corp., reported core earnings of $ 1.17 billion, or 57 cents per share, for the second quarter, compared with $ 833 million, or 40 cents a share the year before.

Analysts on average had expected earnings of 55 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S data.

Manulife said the increase in core earnings incorporated investment gains of $ 154 million and an increase of $187 million driven by strong new business growth in Asia, higher fee income from its wealth and asset management businesses and a reduction in hedging costs.

Manulife also announced Wednesday that former interim Conservative leader and longtime federal cabinet minister Rona Ambrose would join its board Sept. 1.

“Rona has an extensive track record of strong leadership and a wide range of experience at the most senior levels of the Canadian government, and will add important diversity of thought and perspective to our Board,” Manulife chairman Richard DeWolfe said in a release.

Meanwhile, Sun Life, Canada’s third- biggest life insurer, reported net income of $574 million, or 93 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with $ 480 million, or 78 cents per share in the same period the year before. Analysts on average had forecast earnings of 89 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S data.

Underlying earnings per share, excluding one- off items, came in at $ 1.12 per share, compared with analysts’ forecasts of 97 cents.

“After missing expectations in the previous two quarters, we believe that the significant beat should be well- received by investors,” said Barclays analyst John Aiken.

Investors are buying into Canadian insurers as a better bet to benefit from higher interest rates than the country’s banks, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Sun Life said net income from its Asian business increased to $ 77 million from $68 million the year before.

“Asia has been growing rapidly,” chief executive Dean Connor said in an interview. “Earnings have essentially tripled over the past five years and we expect to see continued strong growth in Asia.”

Connor said t he company’s businesses in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia and India had all performed strongly.

Sun Life also announced plans to repurchase up to 11.5 million shares, representing about 1.9 per cent of its outstanding shares.