Irish acquisition spurs Great-West

Article Excerpt

Great-West completed its $1.75-billion purchase of Irish Life Group, Ireland’s largest pension manager and life insurance provider, in July 2013. Great-West has a long history of operating in Ireland, which cuts this deal’s risk. Moreover, Irish Life is immediately adding to Great-West’s earnings. GREAT-WEST LIFECO $32.20 (Toronto symbol GWO; Shares outstanding: 999.5 million; Market cap: $32.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 3.8%; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s largest insurance company. It also offers mutual funds and wealth management. Power Financial owns 68.1% of Great-West. Excluding costs to integrate Irish Life, Great-West’s earnings per share rose 7.3% in the three months ended September 30, 2013, to $0.59 from $0.55 a year earlier. The company ended the quarter with $705.1 billion of assets under administration. Earnings at the Canadian division (which supplies 56% of the total) rose 18.6%, as higher sales of personal insurance offset lower demand for group policies. The value of the assets this business administers also rose, which increased its…