Sector Snap: Insurance companies rise

Insurance companies gain as market rallies, UBS restarts coverage with positive comments

• On 2:21 pm EDT, Tuesday October 6, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) -- Insurance stocks got a boost as the broader market rallied Tuesday, helped by positive comments from UBS.

UBS resumed coverage of the industry, releasing comments on 13 companies, including higher ratings for Aflac Inc. and The Hartford Financial Services Group.

Analyst Andrew Kligerman mostly kept UBS's previous calls on the companies, including maintaining "Buy" ratings for Ameriprise Financial, Genworth Financial Inc., Lincoln National Corp., MetLife, The Phoenix Companies Inc. and Reinsurance Group of America Inc.

Of that group, the biggest percentage gainer was Phoenix, which added 11 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $3.14 in afternoon trading. In dollar terms, the best performer was Reinsurance Group, which added 83 cents, or 2 percent, to $44.73. Only Ameriprise lost ground, slipping 20 cents to $36.

Kligerman also kept "Neutral" ratings on Conseco Inc., Manulife Financial, National Financial Partners and Protective Life. Manulife added 58 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $20.98 and National Financial rose 40 cents, or 5 percent, to $8.65. Conseco was the only down stock in this group, dipping 23 cents, or 4.4 percent, to $5.06.

Even Principal Financial Group, which Kligerman kept at "Sell," gained as the analyst doubled the price target to $24 from its prior $12. Shares edged up 6 cents to $26.70.

Investors responded strongly to Kligerman's upgrade of Aflac, which he raised to "Neutral" from "Sell."

Kligerman said the net positives for the company, including strong operating earnings that provide a buffer to investment losses, warranted the higher rating. Aflac rose $1.02, or 2.5 percent, to $42.59.

And Hartford shares jumped $1.41, or 5.4 percent, to $27.66 as Kligerman raised the insurer to "Buy" from "Neutral" and hiked his price target to $35 from $13.

He said the company has the means to "absorb adverse equity markets, higher capital requirements and investment losses." The company has a new chief executive, Liam McGee, who is "coming into a good situation," he said. "We think HIGs near-term roadmap seems clear and extremely positive in terms of top-line life and P&C initiatives, as well as risk mitigation and capital management," the analyst wrote.

Shares of American International Group were also up Tuesday. The company is close to selling its Taiwan life insurance unit to Primus Financial Holdings Ltd., Bloomberg News reported citing people familiar with the matter. AIG shares rose $1.72, or 4 percent, to $44.47.

Buzz up!