- Manulife (TSX:MFC) will reinsure C$13 billion of reserves, including C$6 billion, or 14 per cent of total long-term care reserves, to Global Atlantic
- In its largest long-term care reinsurance transaction, the Toronto-based insurer agreed to reinsure four blocks of legacy/low return on equity business to Global Atlantic and its partners
- This is Manulife’s third deal with Global Atlantic and the company stated it will free up C$1.2 billion in capital that it plans to use to buy back shares
- Manulife Financial Corp. last traded at C$27.08 per share
Manulife (TSX:MFC) will reinsure C$13 billion of reserves, including C$6 billion, or 14 per cent of total long-term care reserves, to Global Atlantic.
In its largest long-term care reinsurance transaction, the Toronto-based insurer agreed to reinsure four blocks of legacy/low return on equity business to Global Atlantic and its partners.
This is Manulife’s third deal with Global Atlantic and the company said it will free up C$1.2 billion in capital that it plans to use to buy back shares.
Manulife said it had received approval from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions to buy back up to about 2.8 per cent of its outstanding common shares starting in February 2024.
The transaction is also anticipated to reduce the underlying long-term care reserve sensitivity to changes in morbidity assumptions by 12 per cent. The company expects to dispose C$1.7 billion of alternative long-duration assets backing these blocks.
“We expect to generate a C$1.2 billion capital release, achieving over C$10 billion of capital released since 2018,” Roy Gori, Manulife president and chief executive officer said in a news release. “We intend to deploy the full capital release toward buying back common shares, driving core earnings per share and core return on equity business growth. The deal, valued at 9.5 times earnings, and the pricing at book value demonstrate the prudence of our reserves, our focus on execution and our commitment to unlocking shareholder value.”
The share repurchase plan remains subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Global Atlantic Financial Group is an insurance company involved in the retirement and life insurance needs of individuals and institutions. Global Atlantic is a majority-owned subsidiary of global investment firm KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR).
Manulife Financial Corp. is a Canadian international financial services company that provides financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups, and institutions.
Manulife Financial Corp. last traded at C$27.08 per share.
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