Life Insurance Stocks Q3 Recap: Benchmarking Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF)

As the Q3 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the life insurance industry, including Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) and its peers.

Life insurance companies collect premiums from policyholders in exchange for providing a future death benefit or retirement income stream. Interest rates matter for the sector (and make it cyclical), with higher rates allowing insurers to reinvest their fixed-income portfolios at more attractive yields and vice versa. Additionally, favorable demographic shifts, such as an aging population, are driving strong demand for retirement products while AI and data analytics offer significant opportunities to improve underwriting accuracy and operational efficiency. Conversely, the industry faces headwinds from persistent competition from agile insurtechs that threaten traditional distribution models.

The 14 life insurance stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 3.8%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4.8% on average since the latest earnings results.

Weakest Q3: Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF)

Spun off from MetLife in 2017 to focus specifically on retail financial products, Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) provides annuity contracts and life insurance products designed to help individuals protect wealth, generate income, and transfer assets.

Brighthouse Financial reported revenues of $2.17 billion, flat year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 4%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and net premiums earned estimates.

“Brighthouse Financial delivered solid results in the quarter as we continued to execute our strategy,” said Eric Steigerwalt, president and CEO, Brighthouse Financial.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 1.6% since reporting and currently trades at $64.66.

Read our full report on Brighthouse Financial here, it’s free.

Best Q3: Aflac (NYSE:AFL)

Known for its iconic duck mascot that has quacked "Aflac!" in commercials since 2000, Aflac (NYSE:AFL) provides supplemental health and life insurance policies that pay cash benefits directly to policyholders for expenses not covered by their primary insurance.

Aflac reported revenues of $4.41 billion, up 2.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. However, the business still had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ book value per share and EPS estimates.

However, the results were likely priced into the stock as it’s traded sideways since reporting. Shares currently sit at $109.24.

Is now the time to buy Aflac? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Tracing its roots back to 1848 when financial security for workers was virtually non-existent, Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) provides workplace financial protection benefits including disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision insurance primarily through employers.

Unum Group reported revenues of $3.25 billion, flat year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share and net premiums earned estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 10.1% since the results and currently trades at $80.29.

Read our full analysis of Unum Group’s results here.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO)

Rebranded from Conseco in 2010 to signal a fresh start after navigating financial challenges, CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) develops and markets health insurance, annuities, and life insurance products primarily targeting middle-income pre-retirees and retirees.

CNO Financial Group reported revenues of $964.9 million, up 2.5% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

The stock is up 9.6% since reporting and currently trades at $43.40.

Read our full, actionable report on CNO Financial Group here, it’s free.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN)

Founded in 1945 and named after the 19th-century education reformer known as the "father of American public education," Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) is an insurance company that specializes in providing auto, property, life, and retirement products tailored for educators and other public service employees.

Horace Mann Educators reported revenues of $438.5 million, up 6.4% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Aside from that, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

The stock is down 1.7% since reporting and currently trades at $44.48.

Read our full, actionable report on Horace Mann Educators here, it’s free.

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