Asia offers these insurers strong growth

Article Excerpt

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL $44.46 (Toronto symbol SLF; Shares outstanding: 612.8 million; Market cap: $27.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.6%; www.sunlife.ca) sells life insurance, savings, retirement and pension products. The company has $864.6 billion in assets under management; it mainly operates in Canada, the U.S., Asia and the U.K. In the three months ended June 30, 2016, the company’s earnings per share fell 10.0%, to $0.90 from $1.00 a year earlier. That 2015 quarter was strong in Canada, with significant investment gains and unusually low policy claims. Sun Life continues to expand in Asia, where earnings rose 20% in the latest quarter. Demand for insurance is growing fast there as the middle class expands. Earlier this year, the company increased its 26% stake in Birla Sun Life (India) to 49% and its interest in PT CIMB Sun Life (Indonesia) from 49% to 100%. Sun Life now plans to expand into Singapore and Thailand; it currently operates in seven Asian markets, including Mainland…