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Investing.com -- Discovery Ltd (JO:DSBPp) shares fell more than 2% on Thursday after the insurer reported results that topped profit forecasts but showed weaker contractual service margin and embedded value performance, according to UBS.
Profit from operations was about 5% ahead of estimates and adjusted headline earnings were about 7% higher, both consistent with the company’s recent trading update.
The dividend per share was about 10% above UBS estimates, or 5% ahead of consensus.
Group embedded value per share came in 1.1% below expectations, while life value of new business dropped 28% in South Africa and 74% in the U.K. compared with UBS estimates.
South African life and investment CSM declined 5% from a restated base, against UBS expectations of a 10% increase. U.K. life CSM was flat, below the 2.5% rise UBS expected.
UBS said the net CSM decline was disappointing, with South Africa affected by an assumption change of about R3.6 billion.
South African embedded value was less affected as economic assumption changes offset part of the impact, though it still missed estimates by 1.1%.
New business performance was weaker in both South Africa, where volumes and margins declined, and in the U.K., where margins fell.
South African Health embedded value was about R1 billion lower due to lower inflation.
Mortality variances in South Africa were stronger at about R848 million compared with UBS’s forecast of R400 million, while net policy alteration experience was marginally weaker.
Cash generation was about R1.6 billion, ahead of UBS’s R1 billion forecast, despite additional debt repayments.
Banking operations added about 1,400 new customers per day compared with UBS’s estimate of 1,000.
Ping An Health premium growth in China was stronger, up 21% in RMB terms compared with UBS’s expectation of 15%.
Management reiterated its five-year target of 15% to 25% compound annual growth in operating earnings through fiscal 2029.
UBS said the earnings beat had been pre-announced, while the weaker CSM and embedded value details weighed on the results.