CIGNA Upgraded to Outperform - Analyst Blog
June 08 2011 - 7:30AM
Zacks
We are upgrading our recommendation on the shares of
CIGNA Corp. (CI) to Outperform from Neutral
following an upward revision in its guidance post first quarter
results.
Philadelphia-based CIGNA’s first quarter consolidated revenues
grew to $5.4 billion marking an 8% hike over the first quarter of
2010, after excluding the impact of its planned exit from the
individual Medicare Private Fee-for-Service business. The upside
reflects solid growth in each of CIGNA’a targeted market
segments.
CIGNA’s first quarter consolidated earnings stood at $375
million, representing a 33% improvement from the comparable period
last year. Consequently, the quarter recorded earnings per share of
$1.37, reflecting a 36% increase compared with the year-ago
quarter. The earnings upside mainly resulted from a strong globally
diversified portfolio of businesses and solid execution of the
company’s growth strategy.
In Health Care, first quarter 2011 premiums and fees grew 6%
sequentially, excluding the impact of the exited business. This
reflects continued membership growth in the company’s targeted
customer segments and increased specialty penetration. The first
quarter earnings for Health Care were $246 million, including the
impact of favorable prior claim development and sustained
growth.
As part of its long-term strategy, CIGNA continues to focus on
improving its operating expenses through a combination of expense
efficiencies and business growth. For the first quarter of 2011,
medical operating expenses were slightly down compared with the
year-earlier quarter.
CIGNA’s International segment also continued to deliver
attractive growth and strong margins. Premiums and fees grew 32%
quarter-over-quarter, driven by strong customer retention and solid
new sales within the health, life and accident and expatriate
benefits businesses, including contributions from Vanbreda
International. This top-line growth drove strong earnings of $77
million during the quarter. Management expects full-year earnings
from International in the range of $275 million to $295 million,
marking a $15 million increase over its previous guidance.
On the basis of its commendable first quarter results, CIGNA now
expects full-year 2011 consolidated adjusted income from operations
to range between $1.275 billion and $1.365 billion. This revised
range is $75 million to $85 million higher than its previous
expectations and reflects an increase in outlook for each of its
ongoing businesses. Management now anticipates full-year earnings
per share (EPS) in the range of $4.65 to $5.00, which is an
improvement of 30 cents to 35 cents per share over its previous EPS
forecast.
Further, CIGNA expects Health Care earnings in the range of $860
million to $900 million, which is an improvement of $40 million to
$60 million from earlier guidance range. This improvement reflects
a favorable prior-year claim development recognized in the first
quarter and continued effective execution of its growth strategy.
The company remains on track to deliver a full-year total Health
Care operating expense ratio of 26.5% to 27% and medical operating
expenses of $235 to $240 per member per year, with continuous
investments in technology and service capabilities to support
ongoing growth.
With respect to medical membership, CIGNA expects full-year 2011
membership growth of 1% to 3%, excluding the planned non-strategic
market exits.
CIGNA, which competes with UnitedHealth Corp.
(UNH), Wellpoint Inc. (WLP), and Aetna
Inc. (AET), continues to have a strong balance sheet and
good financial flexibility. Its subsidiaries are generating
significant free cash flow, which reflects a strong return on
capital in each of its ongoing businesses. CIGNA ended the quarter
with cash and short-term investments of $790 million. During the
first quarter, the company repurchased 3.9 million shares of
CIGNA's common stock and subsequently repurchased an additional 1
million shares through May 4. Till date, CIGNA has repurchased 4.9
million shares of the stock for approximately $210 million.
After considering subsidiary dividends, pension contributions
and other sources and uses, CIGNA expects to have about $1.1
billion available for capital deployment in order to deliver
sustainable value for the benefit of customers and shareholders in
2011. CIGNA would prioritize its capital mainly in three ways.
Firstly, it would deploy the capital in order to grow its ongoing
operations, and fund its pension plan and Run-off Reinsurance
business. Secondly, it would consider mergers and acquisitions,
with the focus on acquiring capabilities in scale; and finally, it
would return capital to investors, primarily through share
repurchase.
AETNA INC-NEW (AET): Free Stock Analysis Report
CIGNA CORP (CI): Free Stock Analysis Report
UNITEDHEALTH GP (UNH): Free Stock Analysis Report
WELLPOINT INC (WLP): Free Stock Analysis Report
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