Legal & General stock rises on boosted buyback potential

Investing.com — Shares of Legal & General Group Plc (LON:) was up over 3% on Wednesday after the company provided an update on its pension risk transfer business and capital returns. 

The company announced an increased share buyback capacity, ahead of its Institutional Retirement Deep Dive event.

L&G said that its UK PRT volumes for the year are expected to total £8.4 billion, significantly below the consensus estimate of £11.3 billion. 

While the lower volumes might signal a decline in market share—from 25% historically to around 17%—the company said that its strategy of allocating more heavily to gilts rather than credit investments has resulted in a markedly reduced capital strain. 

Year-to-date, the strain on the UK PRT business has been approximately 1%, well below the company’s guidance of under 4%.

This reduced strain translates into an estimated £300 million of additional capital, a portion of which will boost L&G’s capacity for share buybacks. 

RBC analysts noted that this provides a potential upside to the current consensus of a £200 million buyback for fiscal year 2024. 

The improved outlook for capital returns appears to have reassured investors, even as questions linger about the profitability of the business written this year compared to historical levels.

Despite the drop in volumes, L&G maintained its long-term guidance, reiterating expectations of £50-65 billion in UK PRT transactions between 2024 and 2028, supported by a robust deal pipeline. 

The company also upheld its target for a 5-7% compound annual growth rate in operating profit for its retirement division through 2028.

“Overall, despite our view that the PRT has lost some of its lustre, we remain constructive on the opportunity and forecast £11-12bn pa over the next five years,” said analysts at RBC.