Aviva Share Discussion Threads

[edmundshaw] 07/2/2018 09:59

Agree it's a buy. SAdly I am already overweight here, so hard to add more.

[speedsgh] 07/2/2018 09:21

Aviva results could bring buyback boost -

Deutsche Bank is sticking with a ‘buy’ rating on Aviva (AV) ahead of results next month that could yield news on share buybacks.

‘A potential extra positive catalyst with the results is the possibility that management will announce the start of a buyback,’ said analyst Oliver Steel.

Aviva has already pledged to return or use £2 billion of excess cash, including ‘at least £500 million towards buy-backs of both ordinary and preference shares.

‘Excess cash should already be sufficient by end 2017 for this process to begin, given that the group arguably needs no more than £1.5 billion at the centre in normal circumstances,’ he said.

Aviva shares fell 3.3% to 489.1p yesterday.

[alphorn] 11/1/2018 13:38

Quite a while yet to full year results in early March.

[stewart64] 11/1/2018 11:30

Finally playing catch up with the general bull market and appears to have broken free of the five pound figure it has been stuck on over Christmas.

[fangorn2] 10/1/2018 12:39

Haha no biggie.

Amusingly entertaining!!!!

I'm thick skinned, as you've probably realised.

[alphorn] 10/1/2018 12:10

Agree. Gosh, you have a red ticker again. :(

[fangorn2] 10/1/2018 11:55

@Alphorn,

Didn't even notice tbh - Not fussed either.

It was interesting wasn't it.

Big fan of insurers generally.

[alphorn] 10/1/2018 11:17

Fangorn - I don't know who red ticked you but an interesting post.

Insurance is all about smoothing (ideally) so changes will be difficult for the industry.

[fangorn2] 05/1/2018 15:13

”Insurers faced record $135bn in costs from natural disasters in 2017 – Munich Re”
German reinsurer Munich Re says that natural disasters in 2017 exposed the global insurance industry to a record level of costs which give “a foretaste of what is to come”.

The three hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as a severe earthquake in Mexico in September, floodings in Asia and other natural catastrophes resulted in a total insurance bill of $135bn, according to Munich Re’s statistics.

The costs are almost three times above the ten-year average of $49bn and 8 per cent higher than the previous records seen in 2005 and 2011.

“Even though individual events cannot be directly traced to climate change, our experts expect such extreme weather to occur more often in future,” said Torsten Jeworrek, Munich Re board member responsible for global reinsurance business. “Some of the catastrophic events, such as the series of three extremely damaging hurricanes, or the very severe flooding in South Asia after extraordinarily heavy monsoon rains, are giving us a foretaste of what is to come.”



”Pressure is growing for a delay to controversial new accounting rules designed to revolutionise the way insurers report their results, with German insurer Munich Re the latest to call for a postponement.

The rules, known as IFRS 17, were unveiled earlier this year and are due to come into force in 2021. They are designed to make it easier for investors to compare insurance companies in different countries.
But insurers say changing their accounting systems will cost billions and that they need more time to put the complex new rules into action.

“For the preparers, IFRS 17 will be very expensive, and due to its complexity it will be difficult to understand for the public and the media,” said Jörg Schneider, Munich Re’s chief financial officer. However he added that it would still be better than the current accounting system. “

[edmundshaw] 05/1/2018 10:19

Aviva seems particularly cheap at the moment. This after 5 years of good performance under Mark Wilson' leadership.

I am overweight in these at the moment (not just the mince pies). Seems to me a disparity in valuation, especially given the attractive and rising dividend.

[speedsgh] 05/1/2018 08:08

Deutsche Bank upbeat on European insurance sector, raising price targets for a swathe of UK names -

The bank's analysts said insurers "look reasonably positioned – cushioned against market weakness by strong balance sheets and on PEs that are well within the long-term trading range”

Deutsche Bank has issued an upbeat note on the European insurance sector at the start of 2018, raising price targets for a swathe of UK names including Admiral Group PLC (LON:ADM), esure Group PLC (LON:ESUR), Legal & General Group PLC (LON:LGEN), Prudential PLC (LON:PRU), St James’s Place PLC (LON:STJ), and RSA Insurance Group PLC (LON:RSA).

In a note to clients, the German bank’s analysts said: “Strong balance sheets provide underpin; rising yields offer optionality.”

They added: “DB's strategists are generally cautious on the year ahead, but insurers nonetheless look reasonably positioned – cushioned against market weakness by strong balance sheets and on PEs that are well within the long-term trading range.”

The analysts concluded: “Overall, we feel the sector can modestly outperform in 2018, particularly if bond yields rise (as DB expects) – though given our cautious top-down view, our preference is for higher-quality/safer stocks.”

They noted that many of the higher-quality insurance stocks performed well in 2017, and selectively they see this momentum continuing, highlighting Prudential.

The analysts also analysed the downside in UK insurers from UK political risk, concluding that for most stocks the impact of a hard Brexit, for instance, is manageable.

They said that, in this regard, the December rally in UK insurers looks justified, while Aviva PLC (LON:AV.) and - to a lesser extent - L&G still look oversold.

In contrast, the analysts downgraded their rating for Phoenix Group Holdings PLC (LON:PHNX) to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’, primarily reflecting their perception that “the market for UK closed book acquisitions has become more competitive, implying less potential accretion on future deals.”

[stewart64] 04/1/2018 14:57

Finally may be in for a decent day. In the life assurance sector has been the laggard of the pack. Brokers like it, the Market doesn't. Thought it might have legs before Christmas when I bought it.

[essentialinvestor] 18/12/2017 08:52

Sold a few bought Friday.

In terms of wider markets for 2018, current levels of margin debt are concerning,
particularly on US markets.

[alphorn] 17/12/2017 22:44

That story has been around for sometime. If it was reasonably likely the auditors would have had difficulty in signing off the financials.

[buywell3] 17/12/2017 18:32

Sub 500p beckons again chartwise

[essentialinvestor] 17/12/2017 15:30

Overdue a decent day here, hopefully tomorrow.

[lord gnome] 17/12/2017 15:11

This story has been around before. Nothing new. Mail obviously had space to fill and nothing better to fill it with.

[timmy11] 17/12/2017 15:07

what do you make of this?

[uppompeii] 14/12/2017 14:40

As ever...

[essentialinvestor] 13/12/2017 15:18

This is lagging the sector somewhat atm!!

[villarich] 08/12/2017 15:48

Seems to have reacted positively to the latest Brexit news. I forget how sensitive to Europe the Aviva share price is!

[stewart64] 07/12/2017 19:16

Took first plunge today in this stock. Has underperformed the other major life players the last six months. Price to book and yield were major influences.

[ianood] 06/12/2017 19:39

And back up again!