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Legal & General Plc on Wednesday reported a firm increase in annual profit and a record solvency ratio in its annual report. The London-based financial services and asset management company, which specialises in life insurance and pensions, said pretax profit increased by 6.9% to £2.66 billion in 2022 from 2021’s figure of £2.49 billion. Total protection gross premiums increased 8.0% to £3.13 billion from £2.9 billion. Chief Executive Officer Nigel Wilson said the result brought the company ‘ahead of market expectations’ with a record solvency ratio of 236%, up by 187% in 2021. This is attributed to the rising interest rates on insurance reserves, the company said. The company declared a full-year dividend per share of 19.37 pence, a 5.0% increase from 18.45p a year prior. The firm said they are ‘confident’ in meeting their financial goals and are ‘well-positioned to deliver long-term profitable growth’. By 2024, Legal & General aim to generate cash and capital of £8 billion - £9 billion to exceed dividends of £5.6 billion. It also predicts the company’s earnings per share will grow faster than dividends, with dividend growing at 5% by the end of 2024. Legal & General shares were down by 2.5% at 259.00 pence each on Wednesday morning in London. Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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