MCKINNEY, Texas, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Torchmark Corporation
(NYSE: TMK) reported today that for the quarter ended December 31, 2007,
net income was $1.41 per share compared with $1.43 per share for the
year-ago quarter. Net operating income for the quarter was $1.41 per share,
an 8% per share increase compared with $1.31 per share for the year-ago
quarter.
Net income for the year ended December 31, 2007, was $5.50 per share
compared with $5.13 per share for the year-ago period. Net operating income
for the year ended December 31, 2007, was $5.45 per share, a 9% per share
increase compared with $4.99 per share for the year-ago period.
Reconciliations between net income and net operating income are shown
in the Financial Summary below.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
Net operating income, a non-GAAP financial measure, has long been
consistently used by Torchmark's management to evaluate the operating
performance of the Company, and is a measure commonly used in the life
insurance industry. It differs from net income primarily because it
excludes certain non-operating items such as realized investment gains and
losses and nonrecurring items which are included in net income. Management
believes that an analysis of net operating income is important in
understanding the profitability and operating trends of the Company's
business.
Financial Summary
(dollars in millions, except per share data)
Per Share
Quarter Ended Quarter Ended
Dec. 31, % Dec. 31, %
2007 2006 Chg. 2007 2006 Chg.
Insurance
underwriting
income* $1.33 $1.22 9 $124.8 $122.1 2
Excess investment
income* .86 .80 8 80.0 80.2 --
Parent company
expense (.04) (.01) (3.4) (1.5)
Income tax (.73) (.69) 6 (68.0) (69.2) (2)
Stock option
expense, net of
tax (.01) (.01) (1.2) (1.0)
Net operating
income $1.41 $1.31 8 $132.2 $130.6 1
Reconciling items,
net of tax:
Gain on sale of
agency
buildings -- .03 .2 2.8
Realized gains
(losses) on
investments (.04) (.03) (3.8) (3.3)
Medicare Part
D adjustment .03 .02 3.3 1.7
Tax settlements,
net of tax .01 .07 0.5 7.4
Net proceeds
(cost) from
legal
settlements -- .03 -- 3.3
Net income $1.41 $1.43 $132.3 $142.4
Weighted average
diluted shares
outstanding
(000) 93,543 99,786
Per Share
Year Ended Year Ended
Dec. 31, % Dec. 31, %
2007 2006 Chg. 2007 2006 Chg.
Insurance
underwriting
income* $5.05 $4.60 10 $484.4 $464.7 4
Excess investment
income* 3.38 3.15 7 323.8 318.8 2
Parent company
expense (.10) (.08) (9.8) (7.9)
Income tax (2.83) (2.64) 7 (271.0) (267.0) 1
Stock option
expense, net of
tax (.05) (.04) (5.3) (4.3)
Net operating
income $5.45 $4.99 9 $522.1 $504.4 4
Reconciling items,
net of tax:
Gain on sale of
agency
buildings .03 .03 2.8 2.8
Realized gains
(losses):
Investments .02 (.05) 1.8 (4.6)
Valuation of
interest
rate swaps -- (.03) -- (3.0)
Tax settlements .01 .11 1.1 11.6
Net proceeds
(cost) from
legal
settlements -- .07 (.3) 7.4
Net income $5.50 $5.13 $527.5 $518.6
Weighted average
diluted shares
outstanding
(000) 95,846 101,112
* See definitions in the discussions below and in the Torchmark 2006 SEC
Form 10-K.
INSURANCE OPERATIONS - comparing the fourth quarter 2007 with fourth
quarter 2006:
Life insurance accounted for 67% of the Company's insurance
underwriting margin for the quarter and 56% of total premium revenue.
Health insurance, excluding Medicare Part D, accounted for 28% of
Torchmark's insurance underwriting margin for the quarter and 36% of total
premium revenue. Medicare Part D accounted for 4% of insurance underwriting
margin and 7% of total premium revenue.
Net sales were $136 million compared with $134 million for the year-ago
quarter with the three leading life distribution channels having double-digit
life sales growth. However, health sales fell double-digit at the leading
health distribution channel.
Insurance Premium Revenue
Insurance Premium Revenue
(dollars in millions)
Quarter ended Quarter ended %
Dec. 31, 2007 Dec. 31, 2006 Change
Life Insurance $393.5 $381.3 3
Health insurance - excluding
Medicare Part D 252.5 258.3 (2)
Health - Medicare Part D 52.2 56.6 (8)
Annuity 5.2 5.7 (10)
Total $703.4 $701.9 --
Insurance Underwriting Income
Insurance underwriting margin is management's measure of profitability
of its life, health and annuity segments' underwriting performance, and
consists of premiums less policy obligations, commissions and other
acquisition expenses.
Insurance underwriting income is the sum of the insurance underwriting
margins of the life, health and annuity segments, plus other income, less
insurance administrative expenses. It excludes the investment segment,
parent company expense and income taxes.
Insurance Underwriting Income
(dollars in millions, except per share data)
Quarter Ended % of Quarter Ended % of %
Dec. 31, 2007 Premium Dec. 31, 2006 Premium Chg.
Insurance
underwriting
margins:
Life $108.4 28 $102.4 27 6
Health 46.0 18 45.6 18 1
Health -
Medicare Part D 6.7 13 8.5 15 (21)
Annuity 1.6 2.9
$162.6 $159.4
Other income 1.1 .8
Administrative
expenses (38.9) (38.1) 2
Insurance
underwriting
income $124.8 $122.1 2
Per share $1.33 $1.22 9
Insurance Results by Distribution Channels
Total premium, underwriting margins, first-year collected premium and
net sales by all distribution channels are shown at
http://www.torchmarkcorp.com on the Investor Relations page at Financial
Reports.
American Income Agency was Torchmark's leading contributor to total
premium revenue ($132 million) and underwriting margin ($42 million) and
second leading contributor of life premium. AIL's life insurance
underwriting margin of $35 million was up 14%. As a percentage of life
premium, underwriting margin was 31%, up from 30% and the highest of the
major life distribution channels. Life premiums of $114 million grew 8%
compared with the year-ago quarter. Net life sales were $24 million for the
quarter, up 15%. The number of AIL producing agents grew 8% to 2,545
compared with the year-ago quarter, but was down compared to the count of
2,616 at September 30, 2007.
Direct Response was Torchmark's second leading contributor to total
premium revenue ($131 million) and total underwriting margin ($31 million).
Life premiums of $120 million were up 6%, and the life underwriting margin
of $29 million was up 8%. As a percentage of life premium, its life
underwriting margin was 24%, the same as a year ago. Net life sales of $29
million increased 12% from the year-ago quarter.
LNL Agency was Torchmark's third leading contributor to total premium
revenue ($107 million), including $72 million from life insurance which was
down 2%. LNL's total underwriting margin was $29 million, up 3% from the
year-ago quarter; however, LNL's life underwriting margin of $21 million
was down 1% from the year-ago quarter. As a percentage of life premium, the
life underwriting margin was 29%, up from 28% a year ago. Net life sales of
$10 million were up 12% from the year-ago quarter. Producing agents grew to
2,060, up 49% from a year ago and 22% during the quarter.
UA Branch Office Agency is the leading distribution channel in terms of
health premium ($96 million), up 3%, with a health underwriting margin of
$14 million, also up 3%. Underwriting margin was 14% of premium, the same
as a year-ago. Net health sales fell 18% to $36 million; however, net life
sales grew by $1 million, a 158% increase. The number of producing agents
at the UA Branch Agency fell 1% to 2,979 compared with the year-ago quarter
and was down 11% during the quarter.
UA Independent Agency was Torchmark's second largest contributor to
health premium ($93 million) for the quarter and had a health underwriting
margin of $16 million; however, its health premium declined 8% and
underwriting margin declined 6%. Health underwriting margin as a percentage
of premium remained 17%. Net health sales of $16 million grew 18%.
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan, which began January 1, 2006, is
distributed by Direct Response and the UA agencies. Fourth quarter 2007
premium revenue was $52 million for the 2007 plan year compared with $57
million in the year-ago quarter for the 2006 plan year.
Medicare Part D
(dollars in millions)
Quarter Ended % of Quarter Ended % of %
Dec. 31, 2007 Premium Dec. 31, 2006 Premium Chg.
Premium $52.2 $56.6 (8)
Policy obligations (41.0) 79 (41.9) 74
Fees to PBM (3.3) 6 (4.5) 8
Net amortization of
DAC (1.2) 2 (1.7) 3
Underwriting margin $6.7 13 $8.5 15 (21)
Medicare Part D
(dollars in millions)
Year Ended % of Year Ended % of %
Dec. 31, 2007 Premium Dec. 31, 2006 Premium Chg.
Premium $214.6 $212.4 1
Policy
obligations (171.3) 80 (163.5) 77
Fees to PBM (13.9) 6 (17.0) 8
Net
amortization
of DAC (5.3) 2 (6.4) 3
Underwriting
margin $24.2 11 $25.6 12 (5)
For GAAP reporting, Medicare Part D premiums are recognized evenly
throughout the year when they become due, and benefit costs are recognized
when the costs are incurred. Due to the design of the product, premiums are
evenly distributed throughout the year, but benefit costs are much higher
earlier in the year. As a result, under GAAP, benefit costs can exceed
premiums in the first part of the year but be less than premiums during the
remainder of the year. For net operating income purposes, Torchmark defers
excess benefits incurred in earlier interim periods to later periods in
order to more closely match the benefit cost with the associated revenue.
For the full year, the total premiums and benefits will be the same under
this alternative method as they are under GAAP. The Company reports this
difference between GAAP and management's non-GAAP disclosures, net of tax,
as a reconciling item for the interim periods in the Financial Summary
shown on page 1 of this release. A chart reconciling the Company's non-GAAP
financial presentation to a GAAP presentation may be viewed at
http://www.torchmarkcorp.com on the Investor Relations page at Financial
Reports.
Torchmark Annuities consist of variable and fixed annuity contracts.
Underwriting margin from the annuity segment was $1.6 million, down 45%
from the year-ago quarter. Annuities comprised less than 1% of the
Company's insurance underwriting margin for the quarter.
The effect of redomestication of subsidiaries United American and Globe
Life to Nebraska during the quarter was that premium tax expense for Direct
Response, UA Branch Office Agency and UA Independent Agency were reduced by
a total of $2 million because the lower premium tax rate in the state of
domestication results in a lower tax rate in all other states.
Administrative Expenses were $38.9 million, up 2% from the year-ago
quarter, but declined slightly for the full year 2007.
INVESTMENTS
Excess Investment Income - comparing the fourth quarter 2007 with the
fourth quarter 2006:
Management uses excess investment income as the measure to evaluate the
performance of the investment segment. It is net investment income reduced
by required interest. Required interest includes interest credited to net
policy liabilities and interest on debt.
Quarter Ended
December 31,
(dollars in millions, except per share data)
%
2007 2006 Change
Tax equivalent investment income $163.7 $159.8 2
Tax equivalent adjustment (1.4) (.4)
Net investment income 162.4 159.4 2
Required interest:
Interest credited on net policy
liabilities (66.2) (61.2) 8
Interest on debt (16.1) (18.0) (10)
Total required interest (82.3) (79.2) 4
Excess investment income $80.0 $80.2 --
Per share $.86 $.80 8
In comparing the components of excess investment income, it should be
noted that both net investment income and interest expense were unusually
high in fourth quarter of 2006. This occurred because late in the second
quarter of 2006, the Company issued $370 million of debt and trust
preferred securities to pre-fund the retirement of $330 million of similar
securities in the fourth quarter of 2006. As a result, in the fourth
quarter of 2006 $3.6 million of interest expense was incurred on the old
debt, offset by $3.6 million of investment income earned on the investment
of the net proceeds.
In the current year quarter, net investment income increased 2%.
Excluding the fourth quarter, 2006 income and assets related to the
pre-funding, net investment income was up 4%, lower than the 6% increase in
average investment assets at amortized cost due to new investments made at
yields lower than the overall portfolio yield. Contributing to the lower
yields was the investment of $256 million in municipal bonds in early 2007,
which resulted in approximately $1 million less investment income in the
current year quarter. The average yield on the municipal bonds is 4.6%, but
when adjusted for the related tax benefits, the tax equivalent yield is
6.6%.
Interest credited on net policy liabilities increased 8% in line with a
similar increase in the related liabilities. Interest on debt declined 10%.
Excluding the expense related to the aforementioned pre-funding, interest
expense was up $1.6 million in the current year quarter due to the increase
in the average short-term debt outstanding.
Investment Portfolio Composition at December 31, 2007
The market value of Torchmark's fixed maturity portfolio was $9.2
billion, $103 million lower than amortized cost of $9.3 billion. This net
unrealized loss is comprised of $247 million gross unrealized gains, and
$350 million gross unrealized losses. At amortized cost and market value,
92% of fixed maturities were rated "investment grade." The fixed maturity
portfolio, which at amortized cost comprised 94% of total invested assets,
earned an annual effective yield of 6.97% during the fourth quarter of
2007, down from 7.01% in the year-ago quarter. The investment portfolio
contains no sub-prime mortgages or structured securities whose underlying
collateral consists of sub-prime mortgages.
Acquisitions of fixed maturity investments during the quarter totaled
$348 million at cost, with an average annual effective yield of 7.1%, an
average life of 31.7 years and average rating of A-, compared with an
average annual effective yield of 6.7%, average life of 22.1 years and
average rating of A- in the year-ago quarter.
Realized Capital Losses on Investments - during the quarter ended
December 31, 2007
During the quarter, the Company wrote down $4.6 million (after tax) of
non-financial institution fixed securities due to impairment losses, which
were offset by $0.8 million of net gains from fixed securities and other
investments for a net after-tax loss of $3.8 million.
PARENT COMPANY EXPENSES - during the quarter ended December 31, 2007
Parent Company expenses were $3.4 million compared with $1.5 million
for the year-ago quarter. The increase includes $1.6 million of expenses
related to an unsuccessful acquisition attempt.
SHARE REPURCHASE - during the quarter ended December 31, 2007:
Torchmark's ongoing share repurchase program resulted in the repurchase
during the quarter of 16,200 shares of Torchmark Corporation common stock.
Year-to-date, the Company has repurchased 6.150 million shares at a total
cost of $402 million at an average price per share of $65.39.
EARNINGS GUIDANCE FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2008
Torchmark projects that for the year ending December 31, 2008, net
operating income per share will range from $5.88 to $5.94.
OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
More detailed financial information including various GAAP and Non-GAAP
ratios and financial measurements are located at
http://www.torchmarkcorp.com on the Investor Relations page under
"Financial Reports and Other Financial Information."
Note: Tables in this news release may not foot due to rounding.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the federal securities laws. These prospective statements
reflect management's current expectations, but are not guarantees of future
performance. Accordingly, please refer to Torchmark's cautionary statement
regarding forward-looking statements, and the business environment in which
the Company operates, contained in the Company's Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006, and any subsequent Forms 10-Q on file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and on the Company's website at
http://www.torchmarkcorp.com on the Investor Relations page. Torchmark
specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statement because of new information, future developments
or otherwise.
EARNINGS RELEASE CONFERENCE CALL WEBCAST:
Torchmark will provide a live audio webcast of its fourth quarter 2007
earnings release conference call with financial analysts at 10:00 a.m.
(Eastern) tomorrow, February 7, 2008. Access to the live webcast and replay
will be available at http://www.torchmarkcorp.com on the Investor Relations
page, at the Conference Calls on the Web icon. Immediately following this
press release, supplemental financial reports will be available before the
conference call on the Investor Relations page menu of the Torchmark
website at "Financial Reports and Other Financial Information."
SOURCE Torchmark Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.torchmarkcorp.com
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CONTACT:
Joyce Lane, Vice President, Investor
Relations of Torchmark Corporation, +1-972-569-3627,
jlane@torchmarkcorp.com
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