Life insurer Legal & General may be on track from its own perspective as it beat expectations but the reaction of the market suggests investors aren’t fully on board. The company is one of the biggest investors in the UK stock market and what may be creating disquiet is the material drop in assets under management.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould said: “This is a result of both market conditions but also net outflows. As a domestic facing stock Legal & General could also be vulnerable thanks to the latest wage growth data suggesting inflation is becoming more entrenched.
“Rising interest rates are a double-edged sword for Legal & General. Higher rates have led to an improvement in the funding situation of final salary pension schemes and this has enabled them to offload their pension risk to insurers like Legal & General through what is known as a bulk annuity agreement more readily. This is helping to generate growth in this part of Legal & General’s business.”
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