(Bloomberg) — AIA Group Ltd., the third-largest Asia-based insurer by market value, reported a 22 percent decline in full- year profit, as weaker regional currencies and stock-market gyrations detracted from new-business growth.
Net income fell to $2.69 billion, or 22.41 cents a share, in the year to Nov. 30, from $3.45 billion, or 28.73 cents a share, a year earlier, the Hong Kong-based insurer said in a statement to the city's stock exchange Thursday. Fourteen analysts estimated a profit of $3.35 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
New business value, a measure of future profitability of new policies that has been the focus of its management, jumped 19 percent to $2.2 billion, compared to a 17.4 percent median estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
AIA has come under pressure after currencies in five of its six largest markets depreciated by as much as 21 percent during the year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, and the MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan Index dropped 14 percent. Compounding that, China has tightened capital controls to stem money outflows. Analysts, including those at BNP Paribas SA and China International Capital Corp., have recently lowered their target share price and profit estimates for the Hong Kong-listed stock.
Asia Attractive
Operating profit after tax, which excludes $370 million net stock investment losses, rose 10 percent to $3.2 billion. New business value would have expanded 26 percent without the currency effect. The insurer declared a 50 percent increase in its final dividend to 51 Hong Kong cents, boosting the full-year payout to 69.72 Hong Kong cents, according to the statement.
"Despite the recent volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets, Asia remains the most attractive and dynamic region for life insurance in the world," Mark Tucker, AIA's chief executive officer, said in the statement. The final dividend increase "demonstrates our tremendous confidence in AIA's future growth prospects."
AIA, which has presence in 18 Asia-Pacific markets, sells policies mostly in local currencies and reports financial figures in dollars. It tries to match the currencies of its investments with those of its insurance sales. AIA books mark-to-market gains and losses on equity investments through its profit and loss account.
BNP's Dominic Chan, who has a buy recommendation for the stock, cut his estimates for AIA profit last year and this year by as much as 15 percent because of weakening Asian currencies and paper losses on its stock investments.
China Restrictions
China recently vowed to tighten enforcement of a cap on the purchases of insurance products using UnionPay debt and credit cards at $5,000 per transaction.
The country's foreign-exchange regulator is tightening restrictions to help stem money outflows that topped $1 trillion last year as economic growth slowed and the currency weakened. Mainland Chinese have been flocking to buy insurance policies in Hong Kong for better service and also to skirt curbs on moving money out of the country.
