Report
Benoit Valleaux ...
  • Cor Kluis
  • Roland Pfaender,MBA,CFA,CCRA

ODDO : Excessive risk premium in view of the financial strength

The insurance sector is trading at low multiples despite positive operating momentum, in particular in P&C insurance, as a result of fears that we believe are overblown. We remain positive on the sector, which offers good visibility on EPS growth with the prospect of attractive returns of capitals. Our Top Picks among large caps are AXA (Outperform, target price € 37), Allianz (Outperform, TP € 276) and Swiss Re (Outperform, TP CHF 113) and, among other stocks, ASR (Outperform, ...
Underlyings
Aegon NV

AEGON is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, Co. provides life insurance and pensions operations in more than 20 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia and is also active in savings and asset management operations, accident and health insurance, general insurance and to a limited extent banking operations. Co. operates through the following segments: the Americas (which includes the U.S.A., Mexico and Brazil); the Netherlands; the United Kingdom; Central & Eastern Europe; Spain and Portugal; Asia and Aegon Asset Management.

Ageas SA/NV

Ageas is an insurance company engaged in providing a range of life and non-life products distributed through a variety of channels. Co. focuses on helping its customers to mitigate risks related to property, casualty, life and pensions. Co. serves its customers through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries, equity associates and partnerships, with financial institutions and distributors in Belgium, the U.K., Luxembourg, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, France, China, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Hong Kong. Co. is organized into five operating segments: Belgium, U.K., Continental Europe, Asia, and General Account.

Allianz SE

Allianz is engaged in the provision of a range of insurance and asset management products and services. Co. has three business segments: Property-Casualty, which provides insurance products to both private and corporate customers, including motor liability and own damage, accident, general liability, fire and property, legal expense, credit and travel insurance; Life/Health, which provides life and health insurance products including annuities, endowment and term insurance, unit-linked and investment-oriented products and private health and supplemental health and long-term care insurance; and Asset Management, which provides institutional and retail asset management products and services.

ASR Nederland NV

ASR Nederland NV is a multiline insurance company based in the Netherlands. The Company operates through six segments: Non-Life, comprising non-life insurances, including motor vehicle, fire, travel and leisure, transport, liability, agricultural, construction motorized vehicles and construction all risk and assistance insurance products, among others; Life, offering insurance policies that involve asset-building, asset protection, term life insurance and funeral expenses for consumers and business owners; Banking and Asset Management, providing banking activities and activities related to asset management, including investment property management; Distribution and Services, including the distribution of insurance contracts and intermediary services; Holding and Other, providing primarily holding activities of the Company, as well as Real Estate Development, specialized in the development of real estate properties. The Company operates in the Netherlands and internationally.

Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A.

Assicurazioni Generali is the parent company for The Generali Group (the Group), an insurance and financial services provider. The commercial offer is composed of savings and pure risks policies, which constitute the majority of the portfolio, which includes protection and pension funds. In the non-life sector the Group is focused primarily on the retail market. In addition, through the Europ Assistance Group, Co. is engaged in services in motor, travel, health, home and family. The Group has also expanded its business from insurance to a range of asset management, property and financial services.

AXA
AXA

AXA is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, Co. is engaged in insurance and assets management. Co. operates primarily in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific Region and, to a lesser extent, in other regions including the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Co. has five operating business segments: Life & Savings, Property & Casualty, International Insurance, Asset Management, and Banking. In addition, various holding companies within the AXA Group conduct certain non-operating activities. As of Dec 31 2013, Co. had total assets of Euro757,143,000,000.

Coface SA

Coface is a holding company that performs its activities through its primary operating subsidiary, Compagnie franASSaise d'assurance pour le commerce extA(c)rieur and its subsidiaries. Through its subsidiaries, Co. is a provider of credit insurance to businesses with solutions to protect them against the rist of client insolvency on both domestic and export markets.

Grupo Catalana Occidente S.A.

Grupo Catalana Occidente is an insurance group based in Spain. Co. is engaged in insurance and reinsurance activities, including commercial, life, disability, and automobile insurance. Co. is also engaged in the sale of annuities and pension funds. Co.'s operations are organized along two businesses: Traditional business (insurance) and Credit Insurance business. Co.'s main markets are located in Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Co. maintains a presence in more than 40 countries.

Hannover Rueck SE

Hannover is global reinsurance company. Co. operates through two business groups, Non-Life Reinsurance and Life and Health Reinsurance. Non-Life Reinsurance provides structured reinsurance solutions. Co.'s target markets are Germany and North America, and its specialty lines include Marine, Aviation, Credit and Surety, Structured Reinsurance, Insurance-Linked Securities and the United Kingdom, London market and direct business. Non-Life Reinsurance's Global Reinsurance consists of treaty reinsurance worldwide, facultative reinsurance and global catastrophe business. Life and Health Reinsurance provides solutions for life and health reinsurance and financial solutions.

Mapfre SA

Mapfre is an insurance company based in Spain. Co. is the parent company of a group engaged in the underwriting and provision of insurance in Spain and abroad. Insurance policies provided include: life, non-life, accident, home-owner, general and health. Through its subsidiaries, Co. is also engaged in the provision of reinsurance, the management of investment funds, pension funds and pension plans, real estate and related services. On the domestic market, Co.'s activities include managing investment funds, pension funds and pension plans, real estate and other service businesses.

Munich Reinsurance Company

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft is engaged in reinsurance, primary insurance and asset management. Co.'s international life business is written in the Life Division. The Global Clients and North America division manages accounts with international insurance groups. The Europe and Latin America division manages property-casualty business in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Germany, Asia Pacific and Africa division conducts property-casualty business in Germany, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The Special and Financial Risks division manages the classes of credit, aviation and space, agriculture, enterprise and contingency risks.

NN Group N.V.

NN Group is a financial services company based in the Netherlands. Co. engages in insurance and investment management activities, providing life and non-life insurance products primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium, rest of Europe, and Asia. Co. offers group and individual life insurance; and motor, transport, fire, liability, travel, and income insurance. Co. also offers retirement, insurance, investments, and banking services to retail, SME, corporate, and institutional customers. Co. is active in 18 countries, with a presence predominantly in a number of European countries and Japan.

Phoenix Group Holdings plc

Phoenix Group Holdings is a closed life and pension fund consolidator. Co. manages manage life insurance funds which no longer actively sell new life or pension policies and which run-off gradually over time. Co. has one reportable segment, comprising its investment in and loans to/from Co.'s entities. Its revenue principally comprises the dividend and interest income derived from these investments and loans. As of Dec 31 2014, Co. had approximately 5.0 million policyholders and about £52.30 billion of total life company assets.

Scor SE

SCOR is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, Co. is engaged mainly in reinsurance. Its customers are insurers and large corporations. Co. is engaged in life reinsurance through SCOR Global Life SE and non-life reinsurance through SCOR Global P&C SE. In the life reinsurance business, Co. offers reinsurance for individual and group life insurance, long-term care, substandard risks, critical illness and financing products. The non-life reinsurance business comprises traditional reinsurance business; Treaty, Business Solutions, and Specialty Lines. In addition, Co. through SCOR Global Investments SE, manages, directly or indirectly its global investment portfolio.

Swiss Re AG

Swiss Re is engaged in wholesale reinsurance, insurance and risk transfer solutions. Co.'s clients include insurance companies, corporations, the public sector and policyholders. Co.'s business units include: Property & Casualty Reinsurance, which includes the business lines property and casualty (including motor); Life & Health Reinsurance, which includes the life and health line of business; Corporate Solutions, which serves mid-sized and large corporations, with product offerings ranging from property and casualty insurance to customised solutions; and Admin Re®, which provides risk and capital management solutions.

Talanx AG

Talanx is a financial and management holding company. Co. is internationally active in primary insurance and reinsurance and in both property/casualty and life business. In the more than 100 years of Co.'s history, Co. has evolved from a single-line liability insurer for industry into a global insurance group with a focus on the industrial and retail lines and reinsurance business. Through its subsidiaries, Co. is engaged in five business segments: Life/Health Reinsurance; Non-Life Reinsurance; Retail Germany; Industrial Lines; and Retail International.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd

Zurich Insurance Group is a multi-line insurance company. Co. provides a range of general insurance and life insurance products and services, serving individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized and large companies, including multinational corporations, in more than 170 countries. Co.'s business segments include: General Insurance, which provides property and casualty insurance and services, risk insights; Global Life, which provides protection, savings and investment solutions; and Farmers, which provides management services related to property and casualty insurance.

Provider
Oddo BHF
Oddo BHF

​Oddo Securities provides securities brokerage and research services. The company offers equity, economic, and derivatives research and credit analysis services. It focuses on insurance, automotive, building materials, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, information technology, and agri-food industries.

Analysts
Benoit Valleaux

Cor Kluis

Roland Pfaender,MBA,CFA,CCRA

Other Reports on these Companies
Other Reports from Oddo BHF

ResearchPool Subscriptions

Get the most out of your insights

Get in touch