Weekly Industrial Alliance (IAG) stock rating prices target

Weekly Industrial Alliance (IAG) stock rating prices target : A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Industrial Alliance (TSE: IAG) recently:

•     Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at TD Securities from $34.00 to $38.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
      Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at CIBC from $35.00 to $41.00.
      Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at National Bank Financial from $30.00 to $37.00.
      Industrial Alliance Insurance had its price target raised by analysts at RBC Capital from $29.00 to $35.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 
      Industrial Alliance Insurance had its “sector underperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Scotiabank.
      Industrial Alliance Insurance was upgraded by analysts at National Bank Financial from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating.
•     Industrial Alliance Insurance was downgraded by analysts at Canaccord Genuity from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. They now have a $40.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $42.00.
•     Industrial Alliance Insurance had its “sector perform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at CIBC. They now have a $11.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $19.00.

Shares of Industrial Alliance opened at 36.40 on Tuesday. Industrial Alliance has a one year low of $20.55 and a one year high of $39.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $35.05. The company has a market cap of $3.309 billion and a P/E ratio of 10.60.

Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. (Industrial Alliance) is a life and health insurance company.

Insurance stock focus today AIG, HIG shares

best insurance stocks today - Insurance stock focus today AIG, HIG shares : Financial Sector of Property & Casualty Insurance Industry stocks are in focus, as its stocks were gaining high volume during the previous trade. American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) remained a top volume gainer in its industry and was showing a negative trend during the previous trading session. Also, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG) was in focus of investors and it was showing bearish movement during the previous trade.

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) reported that, for the fourth quarter of 2012, a net loss of $4.0 billion, or $2.68 per diluted share, in comparison to the prior year same quarter net income of $21.5 billion, or $11.31 per diluted share. Net income was $3.4 billion, or $2.04 per diluted share, for the fiscal year 2012 versus the fiscal year 2011 of $20.6 billion, or $11.01 per diluted share.

Financial Sector stock, American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) reported the plunge of -3.62% and closed at $37.06 with the total traded volume of 26.91 million shares. The stock’s opening price was $38.89. The company has a total of 1.48 billion outstanding shares and its total market capitalization is $54.71 billion.

52-week price range of the stock remained $27.18 – $39.90, while during last trade its minimum price was $36.86 and it gained its highest price of $38.93.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG) declared for the fourth quarter 2012, a net loss of $46 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, in comparison to the prior year same duration net income of $118 million, or $0.23 per diluted share.

Property & Casualty Insurance company showing negative momentum during previous trade, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG) reported the decline of -4.32% after opening at the price of $24.29, while its closing price for the day was $23.05.

HIG’s total trading volume for the day was 8.92 million shares, versus its average volume of 5.65 million shares. Company’s current market capitalization stands at $10.20 billion along with 442.50 million shares.

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Insurance can be used as a good retirement planning tool

Same goes for your retirement. If you do not lock-in money every year or every month - chances are that there would not be too much left when your source of income dies down. Thats when your medical expenses peak and your source of income has dried. Plan for it at least 20 years from that date so that there are no surprises. And don't just keep hoping for the best!

Insurance gives you peace of mind

What better feeling than knowing that your family can do without you! Ya ya, not when you are alive. But the very fact that your loved ones need not depend on anyone else in case of any unfortunate eventuality is in itself a great feeling and you can then live life to the fullest. You don't have to think when spending on that new car as long as basics savings are in place. So go ahead and splurge!

Insurance can be used as an investment tool

While plain vanilla term insurance is the best for providing maximum amount of cover, there are insurance plans which can be taken to take care of yourinvestments also. Some part of the annual premium paid by you will be directed towards the markets and some part of the premium will provide death cover. So your money grows and in the ling term it can provide healthy returns.

Insurance can be used for planning you children's future

It can be a great tool to ensure that you receive bulk amounts at pre-determined times of your lives or your children's lives. So lets say, you know there is an expense which you would have to incur for your child's higher studies, 15 years from now. So take an insurance plan which matures 15 years from now. It could be an aggressive investment plan or a plan which is more in debt instruments - the returns might be lower - but they are more certain for sure.

Insurance protects against unplanned events

OK, so you have been through your rash driving phase in life and now drive very carefully. But can you ensure that everyone on the road is driving safely - unfortunately NO. There can be surprises and some of them might be unpleasant - why take chances when you have options. Not many flight accidents happen - but they do happen and there are passengers who get affected - you may also be one of them. At a small cost when you can ensure that your family is well taken care of, why not do it. There is nothing worse than you leaving your family in dire circumstances when you could have secured them at a small cost every year. Secure your family future with life insurance. Go in for the cheapest type of life insurance that has a high enough cover. This holds true for health insurancealso. Take adequate amount of health insurance so that your family can afford the best medical treatment available. Compare cheap insurance plans at MyInsuranceClub.com

Tips on Buying Auto Insurance

Driver should bear in mind that there are number of details that should be taken into account when applying for motor insurance policy.

Firstly as soon as car purchased the owner must buy an insurance cover. If a used car is purchased, the new owner needs to know that the cover of the previous owner is null and void.

The insured value or sum insured depends on the market value of the vehicle. Under insurance or over insurance occur when this value is not properly mentioned.

Over insurance occurs when sum insured is higher than the market value, maximum compensation is the market value of the vehicle.

Under insurance occurs if sum insured is less than the market values, you are as self-insuring the difference. In the event of a loss, you will only be partially compensated.

Average clause is applied when you suffer damage to your vehicle which is under insured. Your claim will be reduced proportionately by the uninsured portion, e.g. if you have insured your vehicle up to 70% of the market value, the insurance company will only pay 70% of total repair cost.

Auto Insurance gives You Peace of Mind

Think of auto insurance as part of your total financial plan; a powerful tool that can help:

• Safeguard the investment you've made in your car
• Pay for medical bills after an accident
• Shield you from the costly damages of an accident-related lawsuit
• Guard the valuable assets you've worked hard to collect (such as your home, retirement funds, stock or bond investments, etc.)
• Protect you from uninsured or under-insured motorists
• Pay for damage repairs due to theft, vandalism, or natural disasters; and, of course,
• Strengthen your peace of mind, every time you take to the road.

Why you Need Insurance?

You've worked hard to build a solid financial footing for you and your family, so you want to be sure that everything is protected. Accidents and disasters can and do happen, and if you aren’t adequately insured, it could leave you in financial ruin. You need insurance to protect your life, your ability to earn income, and to keep a roof over your head.

1. Types of Insurance You Need

You can insure almost anything under the sun, but certain things absolutely need to be properly insured. This typically includes your life, your health, and your property.

2. Types of Insurance You Probably Don't Need

While you want to ensure that you're adequately protected, there are a lot of insurance policies that are unnecessary for most people. Purchasing the wrong insurance, or simply spending too much on insurance can do more harm than good.

3. How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

This is an important question, and you may find that you don't need any life insurance, or that you need a million dollars or more in coverage. There are many factors that need to be considered before purchasing life insurance. Find out whether or not you need life insurance, and if so, how much.

4. Finding a Good Auto Insurance Policy

If you own a vehicle, you need to have it insured. Auto insurance is a very competitive industry, and there are a lot of options available to you. Finding the right mix of adequate coverage at a good price can be challenging. Learn how to find the best auto policy for you.

5. Save Money on Your Homeowners Insurance

For many people, their home is one of their biggest assets, so it makes sense to provide adequate coverage. Unfortunately, insuring something expensive such as a house comes at a price, but there are many ways that you can save money on your homeowners insurance.

7 Life Insurance Myths That Can Cost You

Life insurance is an important part of a well-rounded financial plan. But let's face it — it can also be confusing. In fact, misunderstandings about life insurance cause many people to skip the coverage altogether, putting their families at great risk for financial hardship. Here, we set the record straight on seven common myths about life insurance.

Myth 1: Single and young people don't need life insurance.
Truth: Your key question should be: Will anyone be worse off financially if I die? Even if you have no dependents, you might leave behind credit card debt, student loans, a car payment or funeral expenses.

A small life insurance policy would cover these costs. Moreover, buying while you're young can help you lock in lower rates and guarantee coverage if you develop health problems later in life.

Myth 2: Only people with kids need life insurance.
Truth: Chances are your spouse depends on your income, regardless of whether you have children. Could he or she manage to pay the mortgage and all other household bills and debts alone? A life insurance policy could help your partner keep the house and maintain the same standard of living.

Myth 3: If your employer provides coverage, there's no need for more.
Truth: Many corporations provide their employees with free life insurance worth once or twice their annual salary. Similarly, the military's Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) offers great rates on policies up to $400,000. These are nice benefits, but if you leave your company or the military without a separate policy in place, it may be difficult or even too late to purchase one when you need it most.

Myth 4: Life insurance is too expensive.
Truth: It probably costs less than you think. For example, a healthy 30-year-old male can get $250,000 of 20-year term coverage for less than $15 per month.1 And as average life expectancies continue to increase, life insurance prices keep going down.

Myth 5: Insurance policies are all the same.
Truth: Policies that have similar names may differ substantially in what they cover. So before you buy based on price alone, it pays to read the fine print.

Myth 6: There's no reason to insure a stay-at-home spouse.
Truth: Your stay-at-home spouse may not earn an income, but think of the services he or she may provide for free: child care, meal preparation, housekeeping and more. With that spouse gone, life suddenly gets a lot more expensive. Life insurance can defray the cost of hiring help in your partner's absence.

Myth 7: Buying life insurance is a hassle.
Truth: Today, you can use simple online tools to determine your life insurance needs, compare options and apply on the spot. Explore at your own pace with no high-pressure sales tactics. And if you have questions, call us.

Choosing Insurance Tips

HEALTH is the most important thing in life. Therefore, people take a variety of ways to maintain and health care. Even people looking for health insurance to support and ensure their health. Moreover, the cost of care and treatment of disease increasingly soar.

With the health insurance program means you have shifted the risk to other parties. Risk transferred to it, you have to pay a premium depending on the risk transferred and who want the benefits obtained. However, you still jelly choose the right insurance that does not suffer later. Here we present some tips that you can see before taking a decision to follow the health insurance.

Bonadifitas and Track Record
Lately considerable spread of health insurance (eg aromatherapy) are offered through the credit card providers (Issuer). That is, other than a direct quote from health insurance companies, there is also offering health insurance through credit card organizer (Issuer). Offered to card holders benefit from health insurance and direct premiums charged to card holders via credit card.

At this point you should look at what benefits the insurance company provided. Does the insurance company that works with the credit card issuer is a bona fide and have experience? Not until, when you are sick and make a claim, the process is even more difficult. Even difficult for you. So for selecting health insurance companies, at least there are two things to note, namely bonafiditas and his track record and offer advantages compared to the premiums charged to you.

Savings and Investment
Health insurance services is now very varied. In addition to offering financial guarantees when ill, there is combining it with certain services. For example, premiums paid in part shall be applied as a savings or investment. Of course this exciting offer. But insurance premiums are usually offered will also be given greater or health food.

In addition, those who actually join the insurance program at a young age will get some ease. For example, no medical examination required. Please note that insurance premiums will increase with increasing age of the customer. So, register yourself on health insurance when he was young.

Cheap Life Insurance Rates Online

You need to be well informed about this because some insurance companies that make monetary losses from some claims end up shifting that burden to the consumer. You must look for an affordable indemnity cover that will allow you to save some money. Requesting indemnity quotes by filling simple online indemnity questionnaires that are provided by different indemnity companies; you can find and compare indemnity rates online.

Following this simple way, you will be able to compare indemnity coverage and premium quotes from competing indemnity companies. This process can be done in 15 minutes or less and you don't even need to make a single call or being a part of the lengthy and time consuming meetings with indemnity agents. To find cheap indemnity rates online, you can also look into other non indemnity companies' sites that have the technology which will allow you to compare indemnity premium quotes from multiple competing indemnity companies in a few minutes by entering your information.

One of the best ways to find out the best rates over the net is to keep checking the quotes of various indemnity plans. This will help the customers get the quotes of their desired choice. The third party indemnity companies can also be consulted for a comparative analysis. Thus, it is very important to compare the indemnity quotes before buying an insurance scheme.

Given the current recession it is important to make sure to prioritize your money and compare insurance quotes online. A good place to state would be an online website that actually allows you to compare insurance quotes online for free.

Buying Life Insurance Tips

Life insurance serves as a protection if the insured dies. For example, if I was insured by an insurance product and die tomorrow, then the insurance companies will provide insurance money to people who I left behind.

The purpose is to take life insurance to cover the potential loss of income. If I as the backbone of the family died, the family I leave behind will lose sources of income. If I follow the life insurance program, so that my family would leave the insurance money that can be used as a substitute for the lost revenue, at least for a while.

Actually the rule choosing life insurance products are not much different from choosing another product:

* No purchase life insurance if not required; and
* If you need life insurance, buy life insurance that provides adequate protection.

From my brief survey to several friends and family members, virtually none of them are taking life insurance in accordance with the rules above. Most buying life insurance when not needed, and not take life insurance with a sufficient sum assured if needed.

Do not buy life insurance if not required

The main factors are buying life insurance dependents and obligations (e.g. debt). If someone does not have both so concerned not need life insurance.

Small children (or even newborn) do not need life insurance protection because it does not have any dependents. If the child dies, the family will grieve, but it will not adversely affect the financial condition of the family. On the contrary, precisely the family finances would improve because the number of dependents decreases. Buy life insurance child at this stage will only give free money to the insurance company.

People who already have money can become not need life insurance if you are concerned do not have dependents and do not have obligations. People without dependents and no liability to third parties do not need life insurance because if the person dies, no one feels lost revenue.

If the person is on the take-credit, consumer credit, especially now that the question already has an obligation. Thus, it is time he takes the life insurance (if credit is not equipped with credit insurance). If not, then he has the potential to incriminate relatives if something bad happened to her.

Parents of all children are independent and no longer have an obligation to the other party does not need life insurance. If the respective dies, her children will grieve, but no one will ever feel financially disadvantaged. In addition, if the parents are managing the funds properly, then the concerned should already have savings or investment return far greater value than the sum assured of life insurance.

If the parents are already having enough savings, he could cancel his life insurance before the time if the perceived value of insurance coverage is not proportional to the amount of savings. If he dies before the children independently, his children will still be a legacy in the form of these deposits.

If it does not have dependents and no longer in productive age, the elderly person needs life insurance is not, but the liquid funds in large numbers. Furthermore, in these conditions required that the product is exactly the opposite of life insurance, annuities i.e. If the life insurance provides protection if the insured dies too soon, annuities serve to provide protection if the insured is living too long. Pay life insurance premiums at this time could be a "financial disaster" for the required product is exactly the opposite of life insurance.

Get Cheap Car Insurance Rates

Chances are that if you are over 25 years of age you can get a pretty good discount on your car insurance. Auto insurance companies tend to give discounts to drivers over the age of 25 because they see them as more mature because of their experience behind the wheel.

However the best age group that gets excellent rates on auto insurance are senior citizens. Auto insurance companies consider people over 50 years of age as senior citizens. They get the best rates because they are less likely to get into auto accidents or get a speeding ticket.

If you want to get the best rates possible you should consider combining your home and auto insurance together. Auto insurance providers generally would give insurance discounts to individuals that combine their auto and home insurance together. This helps you save money and also helps you easily manage your bills.

Another way to get your car insurance rates cheaper is to go online. By going online you have the opportunity to get the best rates possible because you do not have to deal with agents trying to receive commission like those locally in your area. Generally the more information you give the car insurance companies online the more accurate your quotes will be.

Cheap Life Insurance Rates Online

You need to be well informed about this because some insurance companies that make monetary losses from some claims end up shifting that burden to the consumer. You must look for an affordable indemnity cover that will allow you to save some money. Requesting indemnity quotes by filling simple online indemnity questionnaires that are provided by different indemnity companies; you can find and compare indemnity rates online.

Following this simple way, you will be able to compare indemnity coverage and premium quotes from competing indemnity companies. This process can be done in 15 minutes or less and you don't even need to make a single call or being a part of the lengthy and time consuming meetings with indemnity agents. To find cheap indemnity rates online, you can also look into other non indemnity companies' sites that have the technology which will allow you to compare indemnity premium quotes from multiple competing indemnity companies in a few minutes by entering your information.

One of the best ways to find out the best rates over the net is to keep checking the quotes of various indemnity plans. This will help the customers get the quotes of their desired choice. The third party indemnity companies can also be consulted for a comparative analysis. Thus, it is very important to compare the indemnity quotes before buying an insurance scheme.

Given the current recession it is important to make sure to prioritize your money and compare insurance quotes online. A good place to state would be an online website that actually allows you to compare insurance quotes online for free.

Get Cheap Car Insurance Rates

Chances are that if you are over 25 years of age you can get a pretty good discount on your car insurance. Auto insurance companies tend to give discounts to drivers over the age of 25 because they see them as more mature because of their experience behind the wheel.

However the best age group that gets excellent rates on auto insurance are senior citizens. Auto insurance companies consider people over 50 years of age as senior citizens. They get the best rates because they are less likely to get into auto accidents or get a speeding ticket.

If you want to get the best rates possible you should consider combining your home and auto insurance together. Auto insurance providers generally would give insurance discounts to individuals that combine their auto and home insurance together. This helps you save money and also helps you easily manage your bills.

Another way to get your car insurance rates cheaper is to go online. By going online you have the opportunity to get the best rates possible because you do not have to deal with agents trying to receive commission like those locally in your area. Generally the more information you give the car insurance companies online the more accurate your quotes will be.

Tips For Choosing Your Auto Insurance Company

In case of car accident, it is nice to have a safety net. Of course it is standard that once you buy a car, you must also purchase auto insurance. But what if the company where you buy your auto insurance policy is taking too long to process your claim? And what if the company does not recognize your claim at all? You see, having an auto insurance policy is not enough, not to mention, useless if you disregard the possibility that the insurance company you have chosen is unreliable.

With this, it is only proper to discuss the factors that need to consider when choosing an auto insurance company.

The first thing you should do before signing up for a purchase is to know if the insurance company is reliable or not. Auto insurance company can be considered reliable if it is paying the correct claim with the correct amount at the fastest time possible. To know this, you can check on the website of your state's department of insurance. Posted in this website are the complaints of costumers with respect to the number of claims filed in a year.

One particular site that would certainly help you in selecting the best auto insurance is the J.D. Power and Associates website. This organization collects data from policyholders across the country. The J.D. Power and Associates also asks from these policyholders the grade-rating of their insurance company in terms of claims, handing, price, satisfaction with the representatives, coverage options, and the overall experience with the company.

The company's grade-rating from costumers are very important factor to consider since you will never know when you will have to file a claim at the same time, get a result as soon as possible. It does not mean though that once a company receives complain, you are already gambling your money if you decide to purchase an insurance policy from them. The thing is, all companies can get complaints once in a while but consider those with the least number of complaints and the highest rating from their costumers. Also, consider the insurance company that ranks the highest in all aspects.

Then, you need to know the financial strength of the auto insurance company. As a reference, take of the Standard & Poor's ratings and the A.M. Best. These two companies publish the financial strength rating of every insurance company in the United States. What is the importance of this? The financial strength of your possible auto insurance company determines if it has the capacity to settle or to pay for claims. Thus high financial strength rating means a wiser choice.

Consider also the price of the premium they offer and the choices of policy they have. Premiums matter much whether or not you are a frugal costumer.

The next thing you should consider in selecting your auto insurance company is the number of accredited body shops that is recommended by the particular company. Consider the distance of them from your place. This could be a minor consideration but once you are in the situation where you need your car to be repaired, then location is significant. Also, make sure that these body shops have the right equipment and expertise that will effectively answer any future need of your car.

Now that you know these things, you are ready to choose your auto insurance company.

Zacks estimates Willis Group Holdings EPS

Best insurance stock today - Zacks estimates Willis Group Holdings EPS : Willis Group Holdings plc (WSH - Analyst Report) reported fourth-quarter 2012 adjusted net income from continuing operations of 45 cents per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Results were in line with the year-ago earnings.

Including goodwill impairment charge of $2.62 per share, write-off of unamortized cash retention awards of 79 cents, 2012 cash bonus accrual of $1 per share, insurance recovery of 2 cents, loss on disposal of operations of 1 cent, deferred tax valuation allowance of 64 cents and dilutive impact of potentially issuable shares of 6 cents, Willis Group incurred a loss of $4.65 per share, compared with an income of 14 cents in the prior-year quarter.

Operational Performance

Total revenue in the quarter increased 6.3% year over year to $871 million due to higher commissions and fees. Commissions and fees improved 7% year over year to $867 million in the quarter.

Investment income plummeted 100% year over year to $4 million, attributable to lower net yields on cash and cash equivalents.

Total expense shot up 123% year over year to $1.6 billion, primarily due to an increase in salaries and benefits, and goodwill impairment charge.

In the quarter under review, adjusted operating income was $166 million, up 8.5% year over year. Operating margin expanded 40 basis points to 19.1%.

Quarterly Segment Update

Global: Organic growth in commissions and fees was 11.6% in the quarter, while reported growth was 11.3%. Organic growth was primarily driven by better results across all lines of business.

Operating margin was 19.7%, expanding 340 basis points year over year.

North America: Commissions and fees, on an organic basis, grew 5%, while on a reported basis grew 4.7%.

Operating margin in the quarter contracted 250 basis points to 17.2%.

International: On an organic basis, commissions and fees increased 7.4% year over year, while on a reported basis, it increased 6.4%. Latin America reported strong double-digit growth, while Europe and UK reported mid-single digit growth. Asia recorded low single-digit growth.

Operating margin was 23.6%, contracting 270 basis points.

Full year Highlights

Adjusted net income from continuing operations of $2.58 per share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings declined 5.8% over 2011.

Including goodwill impairment charge of $2.60 per share, write-off of unamortized cash retention awards of 78 cents, 2012 cash bonus accrual of 99 cents, insurance recovery of 3 cents, loss on disposal of operations of 2 cents, India JV settlement of 6 cents, write-off of uncollectible accounts receivable balance and legal fees of 5 cents, deferred tax valuation allowance of 64 cents and the dilutive impact of potentially issuable shares of 6 cents, Willis Group incurred a loss of $2.58 per share, compared with an income of $1.15 in 2011.

Cost Savings Initiative

Management is reviewing the organizational design and expects to reduce headcount. The review will be completed in the first quarter of 2013. As a result Willis Group expects to incur a pre-tax charge of about $35 million to $45 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Nevertheless, beginning in the second quarter, the company expects to realize cost savings, primarily through headcount reduction, of approximately $20 million to $25 million in 2013. Moreover, it expects annualized cost savings of approximately $25 million to $30 million.

Financial Update

Willis exited 2012 with cash and cash equivalents of $500 million, up 14.7% year over year.

Long-term debt slid 0.7% to $2.3 billion from 2011 end.

Cash flow from operating activities in 2012 was $524 million, up 19.4%.

Dividend Update

In Feb 2013, the board of directors approved a 3.7% increase in the quarterly cash dividend. Willis will pay the increased dividend of 28 cents on Apr 15, 2013 to shareholders of record as on Mar 29, 2013. The annualized dividend comes to $1.12 per share.

Performance of other insurance brokers

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC - Analyst Report) reported its fourth-quarter 2012 operating earnings of 52 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

However, the results were slightly higher than the year-ago quarter’s earnings of 46 cents per share.

Arthur J Gallagher & Co. (AJG - Snapshot Report) reported earnings of 39 cents in the fourth quarter, a penny above the Zacks Consensus Estimate and up 11% year over year.

Aon plc (AON - Snapshot Report) posted earnings of $1.27 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.6% and the year-ago earnings by 31%.

Zacks Rank

Willis Group currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)

UIHC insurance will release financial result Q4 February 27 2013

UIHC insurance will release financial result Q4 February 27 2013 :  United Insurance Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: UIHC) (the Company), a property and casualty insurance holding company, announced today that it expects to release its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012, after the market closes on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. The Company will conduct its quarterly conference call to discuss those results and review the outlook for the Company on Thursday, February 28, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Company invites interested parties to participate in the conference call.

Webcast

To listen to the live webcast, please go to www.upcic.com (“Events and Presentations”) and click on the conference call link, or go to: http://upcic.equisolvewebcast.com. This webcast will be archived and accessible through the Company’s website for approximately 30 days following the call.

About UIHC and UPC Insurance

Founded in 1999, UIHC is an insurance holding company that sources, writes and services residential property and casualty insurance policies using a network of independent agents and a group of wholly owned insurance subsidiaries. UPC Insurance, the primary operating subsidiary of UIHC, writes and services property and casualty insurance in Florida, South Carolina, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and was recently licensed to write in North Carolina. From its headquarters in St. Petersburg, UPC Insurance’s team of dedicated professionals manages a completely integrated insurance company, including sales, underwriting, customer service and claims.

Zurich Insurance Net capital gains on investments 2012

Best Insurance stock - Zurich Insurance Net capital gains on investments 2012 : Zurich Insurance Group AG, Switzerland’s biggest insurer, said fourth-quarter profit rose 82 percent after higher capital gains on investments.

Net income increased to $983 million from $540 million a year earlier, the Zurich-based company said today in a statement. That beat the $521.1 million average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Business operating profit fell to $540 million from $983 million in the year-earlier quarter.


Zurich Insurance will keep its dividend unchanged at an 11- year high of 17 Swiss francs ($18.52) a share, after increasing the payout to that level in 2010. Net capital gains on debt and equity investments were $1.04 billion in the fourth quarter compared with a loss of $78 million in the year-earlier period.

“Results were better than expected, but only on the bottom line, which was clearly due to higher realized capital gains,” said Daniel Bischof, a Zurich-based analyst with Helvea. “For me the operating profit is more important, and there they were rather disappointing because of the general insurance business.”

Net capital gains on investments totaled $2.2 billion in 2012, driven by sales of debt and equity securities.

“We continue to execute our proven strategy, growing our business in emerging markets while delivering a resilient performance in mature markets,” Chief Executive Officer Martin Senn said in the statement today. “This strong underlying profitability ensures we remain well positioned to continue to deliver for our customers, employees and shareholders in 2013.”(source http://www.bloomberg.com )

Competition of Insurance Companies

Information about the insurance market at a glance

Local private insurance companies dominate the insurance market more common than joint venture (joint venture). Increasing the market share of local insurance companies than a joint venture because it is generally a joint venture targeting specific markets and market different from local insurance companies.

Local insurance companies dominate because more aggressive market penetration into areas while the joint venture only big city.

Five force model is a business strategy that is used to perform the analysis of the industrial structure. The analysis is based on five competitive forces are:

The threat of a substitute product
How dyantolife substitution for insurance? Are consumers can easily obtain substitute goods? The more close substitutes, then the customer can switch easily. Force is influenced by several factors such as switching costs, the tendency for substitution, product differentiation, and more.

The threat of the entry of new competitors
How difficult / easy for new competitors to get into your industry? This force is influenced by the brand equity, the barriers to entry such as patents, etc., distribution, or core competence of a particular skill, economies of scope, cost advantage, and more.

The bargaining power of customers
How is the strength of your customers? This force is influenced by: the number of buyers, the concentration of buyer, buyer switching costs, availability of items, big order buyers, price sensitivity, degree of differentiation, and so on.

With marketing and market penetration tactics that many insurance markets so customers can get a lot of choices to purchase insurance in addition to our company, if the acquisition or marketing teams are not careful in taking the market it will compete.

The bargaining power of suppliers
Supplier is the place where we purchased inputs used for production materials. Force is determined by several factors including: cost of switching to another supplier, supplier number, supplier concentration, availability of input substitution, differentiation level inputs, up to the level of supplier relationships.

• Supplier of insurance companies over the custodian bank. If the number of custodian banks more so we could have more alternatives in choosing a bank and custodian banks could choose higher interest rates, lower costs and better service.
• The selection of investment products as much as return on bonds, mutual funds, money market, equity could be an alternative choice of investment companies that can return a higher member.   

The intensity of competitive rivalry
How does the intensity of competition in the insurance company? The more the number of competitors, with quality products and competitive prices, the higher the level of competition. Force is determined by several factors, including: the number of competitors, the difference in quality, customer loyalty, product differentiation, price differences, exit barriers, and so on.

The negative side of bank mortgage insurance

The negative side of bank mortgage insurance : Mortgage life insurance isn’t very popular and it has more than a few detractors. For one thing, the premium payments typically remain constant even though your death benefit drops. What seemed like a bargain when you first took the insurance, and your mortgage, becomes less so as the loan balance and the insurance death benefit drop.

Another concern is that the insurance benefit will be payable to your lender upon your death, not to your dependents. That limits the desirability of having this type of insurance.

While it may be good to have your mortgage paid off upon your death, your dependents may have other, more pressing concerns. They will not be able to address those concerns with a mortgage life insurance policy. read How does mortgage life insurance work

Is it worth having?

For most people mortgage life insurance shouldn’t be necessary. You can instead take the largest term life insurance policy you can afford and use part of the proceeds to payoff the mortgage on your home at your death, if that’s what you and your survivors agree upon. However your dependents will not be locked into paying off the mortgage, should they decide against doing so.

A straight term life insurance policy give them the flexibility to allocate the money wherever it’s most needed. Maybe that’s the mortgage, and maybe it’s not, but they’ll have that option.

If you don’t have a whole lot of confidence that your survivors will allocate the life insurance proceeds wisely, then mortgage life insurance can be a consideration. Since the proceeds will be allocated directly to payoff the mortgage event of your death, you will be able to know that it will happen as you wish.

Your survivors might still blow through other insurance proceeds, but at least you can know that the mortgage on a house will be paid for.

How does mortgage life insurance work

best insurance stock - How does mortgage life insurance work : The best way to think of mortgage life insurance is that it is term life insurance with a single purpose: to payoff your mortgage in the event of your death.

A mortgage life insurance policy is tied to your mortgage in almost every way. At the time that you take your mortgage, whether on a purchase or refinance, the death benefit on insurance policy is set up to match the amount of your mortgage loan.

However, the death benefit will decline as your mortgage is paid down. Once your mortgage is paid off, the life insurance goes away.

In the event of your death, the proceeds of the policy will go right to your lender to payoff the mortgage on your house.

As to the specifics, there are variations depending on which insurance company you use as well as the particulars in your situation. It’s also important to remember that while a lender may recommend that you get mortgage life insurance, you are not required to get it. It is strictly optional coverage.

Brightcove Inc earnings loss q4 2012

best insurance stock - Brightcove Inc earnings loss q4 2012 : Brightcove Inc. (BCOV - Snapshot Report) reported a loss of 13 cents in the fourth quarter of 2012, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 7 cents. However, loss per share was narrower than a loss of 75 cents reported in the year-ago quarter.

 Revenues

Revenues jumped 31.3% from the year-ago quarter to $24.3 million, slightly better than the consensus mark. The year-over-year surprise was primarily driven by a 34.2% surge in Subscription and Support revenues, which fully offset an 8.4% plunge in Professional services and Other revenues.

Brighcove’s revenues from premium offerings jumped 29% year over year to $21.8 million. Premium refers to Brighcove’s traditional video cloud customers, the enterprise edition of app cloud and Zencoder customers on annual contracts. Revenues from volume offerings surged 53.0% year over year to $2.5 million.

Brightcove’s customer base expanded 64% from the year-ago quarter to 6367, which includes 1625 premium customers and 4742 volume customers. Sequentially, both premium and volume customers increased by 52 and 172, respectively.

Brightcove added a number of major companies to its customer base that includes the likes of insurance provider Allstate (ALL - Analyst Report) and biopharmaceutical company Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMY - Analyst Report). Brightcove also entered into a partnership with Viacom (VIA - Snapshot Report) and NBC.

Revenues from non-media customers (60% of total revenues) grew 60% year over year, while media customers (40% of total revenue) increased 17% from the year-ago quarter. Recurring dollar retention rate was 89% in the fourth quarter.

Region wise, revenues from North America (64% of total revenue) increased 29% year over year to $15.6 million. Europe (23% of total revenue) jumped 33.0% year over year to $5.6 million. Asia-Pacific including Japan (13% of total revenue) soared 35.0% from the year-ago quarter to $3.1 million.

Margins

Gross margin increased 20 basis points (“bps”) on a year-over-year basis to 69.8% in the reported quarter. Operating expenses soared 27.7% year over year to $20.7 million due to 27.5% year-over-year increase in research & development expenses, 20.6% year-on-year rise in sales & marketing expenses and a 46.1% jump in general & administrative expenses.

Loss from operations (including stock-based compensation) was $3.7 million, wider than $3.3 million reported in the year-ago quarter on a higher revenue base.

Net loss (including stock based compensation) of $3.7 million was narrower than a loss of $3.8 million incurred in the prior-year quarter.

Balance Sheet and Cash flow

Exiting the fourth quarter, Brightcove had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $30.0 million, down from $30.8 million reported in the third quarter. Brightcove generated cash flow of $2.7 million in the fourth quarter. Free cash flow was $2.5 million in the quarter.

Outlook

For the first quarter, Brightcove expects revenues in the range of $23.5 million to $24.0 million, which represents 18% to 21% year-over-year growth. Non-GAAP operating loss is expected to be $2.0 million to $2.3 million. Non-GAAP loss is expected in the range of 8 cents to 10 cents per share.

For fiscal 2013, Brightcove expects revenues to be in the range of $102.0 million to $105.0 million, which represents 16% to 19% year-over-year growth. Non-GAAP loss is expected to be $4.5 million to $6.5 million. Non-GAAP net loss per share is expected in the range of 18 cents to 25 cents per share.

Recommendation

We believe that strong demand for cloud-based solutions, security and mobile products, and online videos along with strategic acquisitions are the positives for the stock over the long term. However, intense competition and sluggish macro-economic environment are the near-term headwinds.

Currently, Brightcove has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Insurance stock prices analysis today

Best Insurance Stock  - Insurance stock prices analysis today : Metlife Inc stock prices analysis, Genworth Financial Inc ,  Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) , ING Groep N.V. (ADR) (NYSE:ING) : Metlife Inc (NYSE:MET) stock is at $37.23, down-2.06 percent from its previous close of $38.20. Its today’s volume is 9.73 million shares in comparison to its usual trading volume of 8.67 million shares. The stock opened the session at $37.71 and touched its highest price point at $37.80.

The company is on track to expand the portfolio of Americas head William Wheeler with a $2 billion agreement to takeover AFP Provida SA (PROVIDA) from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BBVA), highlighting the potential he may be the next chief executive officer.

Metlife Inc’s lowest price point for the session stood at $37.22, and its 52 week price range stood at $27.60 - $39.55. The company has total of 1.09billion outstanding shares and its total market capitalization is $40.62billion. Its beta value stands at 1.99 times and earning per share was $2.05.

Previous 5 days graph demonstrated a negative move of -1.12%. MET’s quarterly performance remained green with the percentage of +7.29, while its year to date performance showed that the stock advanced overall 13.02%.

Genworth Financial Inc (NYSE:GNW) stock is at $9.15, down-1.61 percent from its previous close of $9.30. The stock opened the session at $9.23 and touched its highest price point at $9.25. Genworth Financial stock’s lowest price point for the session stood at $9.08.

Stocks graphical chart shows a bullish trend during its last one month’s trading session. It remained positive with 50.99% during previous three months trade.

Its today’s volume is 8.14 million shares in comparison to its usual trading volume of 10.66 million shares. Its beta value stands at 3.15 points. Currently stocks EPS is $0.61 while its price to earning ratio is 15.11.

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) opened the session at $29.15 and remained in $28.73 and $29.25 price range during the session. The stock is 2.10 percent down at $28.88. Volume closed the day at 2.61 million shares, its average volume being 2.58 million shares.

The company has total of 275.02 million outstanding shares and its total market capitalization is $7.94billion. Its beta value stands at 2.66 times and earning per share was $1.44.

LNC was a loser in the 5 days activity and slipped about -0.59%. The one month performance of stock was positive as it scored more than 2.74%.

ING Groep N.V. (ADR) (NYSE:ING) traded in the range of $9.41 and $9.64 in its previous trading session. The stock recorded the volume of 2.92 million shares so far, in comparison its average daily trading volume of 1.96 million shares. The company has total of 3.80 million outstanding shares and its total market capitalization is $35.81billion.

Company’s year to date performance remained declining as it lost almost -0.74%. If we look at last 6 months of trade that is in bullish zone with an increase of 42.08%

The stock opened at $9.64 and its closing price for the day was $9.42, down-5.52 percent from its previous close of $9.97. The beta of the INGstands at 2.77. 52 week range of the stock is $5.51 -$10.47. (source http://otcstockpicks.net/)

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Indonesia insurance property market forecast 2013

best insurance stock - Indonesia insurance property market forecast 2013 : Property insurance market share continues to shrink. Data General Insurance Association of Indonesia (AAUI) in the first semester of this year noted, the property insurance market share slipped to 27.4% from the same term last year's 29.9%.

Property market share surpassed by motor insurance rose to 30.1% from the previous 29%. Until the beginning of the semester, the total general insurance premiums Rp 18.89 trillion, grow 12.8% compared to the same period last year of Rp 16.74 trillion.

Property insurance contributions Rp 5.1 trillion or an increase of 3.5% from the same period last year of Rp 5 trillion. While gross property insurance claims actually grew 24.6% to Rp 2 trillion from Rp 1.6 trillion in the previous period. Premium of Rp 5.6 trillion, up 17.2% from Rp 4.8 trillion.

Increasingly shrinking property insurance estimate because the war was still going on tariffs. As a result, players choose cautious about accepting risk property insurance.

In addition, the granting of commissions to intermediaries such as broker or brokerage has been no standardization. First, the commission to the broker the range of 15% -20%, now has a range of 25% -30%. In addition, property premium rates were calculated using the model per mile.

Unlike auto insurance, calculations based on the percentage of the vehicle price. "Hence, the growth of the motor vehicle, the premiums vary with the property," said Julian.

With this condition, it is not likely the property insurance market share will continue to shrink in the coming period. Moreover, the desire to create a preference industry premium rates for property insurance has not yet materialized. That is, the property insurance premium price competition will continue to happen.

In fact, the desire to make the tariff preferences that have been around a long time. However, until now there is statistical data collected premium of industry players to make such preferences. Unlike in vehicle insurance, is there a reference rate.