Sentiment Analysis of the earnings transcript to help figure out if there are any bullish or bearish sentiments that could be gathered from it. We're doing ML and AI based analysis on the earnings call to get some more insights.
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| Statement |
|---|
| We continue to believe the global asset management industry is poised for growth in coming years, and AB is well positioned from a competitive standpoint, given its global platform, diversification across asset classes and distribution channels and solid investment performance |
| Now we are -- as you mentioned, we're encouraged by the mortality in the quarter |
| We're very excited about the road ahead for Equitable Holdings |
| In our Retirement business, higher interest rates and favorable demographic trends while providing the best environment for growth in well over a decade |
| In Asset Management, AB continues to see strong client demand for private markets investments, and we're optimistic that stabilization of interest rates will lead to a resurgence in fixed income flows |
| Finally, our Wealth Management is attracting strong client inflows and should continue to benefit from Americans need and desire for financial advice |
| You've been posting pretty good growth |
| We're also delivering on our strategic actions to improve margins and enhance investment income |
| In closing, Equitable delivered solid business results in 2023 |
| Strong equity markets and stabilization in interest rates bode well for improved alternative returns, and we're encouraged that mortality returned to more normal levels in the fourth quarter |
| As a result, in that, we continue to see consistent flows, organic growth and strong ROAs |
| which is testament to the underlying strength of Equitable's retirement business and diversified mix of fee and spread-based earnings |
| The combination of predictable cash generation and a strong capital position enabled us to consistently return capital to shareholders |
| And we're proud that educators that work with advisers contribute 70% more and are better prepared for retirement |
| We benefit from the scale of our 1,000 advisers serving over 9,000 payroll slots |
| Within our core tax exempt business, we had positive flows for the year, $365 million, and for the quarter, $115 million, driven by new client enrollments and renewal contributions as the #1 provider of supplemental retirement than plans to kindergarten to 12th grade teachers |
| We also continue to drive incremental yield from our general account by repositioning the portfolio to take advantage of AB's strong capabilities in private markets |
| Also outlined at our Investor Day were compelling and achievable financial targets, which are supported by growth in our commercial businesses |
| We are very pleased with the strong organic growth momentum in Retirement and Wealth Management as well as the ongoing progress in building out AV's higher fee private markets platform |
| I'm excited about the opportunity for Equitable to capitalize on the current favorable growth environment, and we remain confident in our ability to deliver on the financial guidance we outlined at Investor Day |
| Look, as we articulated on Investor Day, we think we're well positioned to capture a disproportionate share of the value in that space |
| Equitable is unique in its ability to capture the entire value chain across product manufacturing, asset management and distribution, which provides us with competitive advantages |
| You are seeing this show up in our strong sales and net flows |
| Focusing on mortality, we were encouraged by results this quarter as claims were in line with expectations and reinsurance coverage was as well in line |
| At Investor Day, we laid out a plan to increase annual cash generation by 50% to $2 billion by 2027, and we remain well on track to achieve this |
| This strong cash flow supports our target payout ratio of 60% to 70% of non-GAAP operating earnings and ongoing capital deployment for share repurchases helps drive conviction in our ability to grow non-GAAP operating earnings per share 12% to 15% annually through 2027 |
| And we think it helps our broader strategy and aligns us to our peers and provides us financial flexibility going forward |
| In retirement, equity market tailwinds, higher interest rates and record net inflows drove core AUM to $154 billion, up 11% compared to year-end 2022 |
| Lastly, we have a favorable macro backdrop heading into 2024 |
| The growth we are seeing is driving strong value of new business which represents the present value of future cash flows generated from business we write today |
| Statement |
|---|
| 2023's reported results were below our expectations, primarily due to lower returns on alternative investments and elevated mortality claims during the first three quarters of the year |
| This is below our target of 12% to 15% non-GAAP EPS growth CAGR through 2027 primarily due to elevated mortality claims and below plan alternative investment returns |
| Therefore, we currently forecast returns to be in the mid-single digits in the first quarter and slightly below our 8% to 12% long-term expectation for the full year |
| I'd also remind you that there tends to be some adverse seasonality in first quarter results due to the winter flu season |
| As you said that, and as I mentioned, the market is challenging, though |
| Alternative investment returns were minus 1% in the fourth quarter, resulting in a $0.17 reduction in earnings per share versus our normal expectation, but in line with the guidance we provided for the fourth quarter |
| So the biggest risk that we have is the credit risk |
| We reported a $698 million loss in the quarter, primarily due to our interest rate hedges as the 10-year treasury declined by nearly 100 basis points |
| That may not translate into earnings now, that may translate into lower earnings in the future |
| But also if you look at the realizations since realizations were nice, our pipeline came down |
| Look, the broader market obviously remains challenged across -- mainly on the office space we see primarily across, it could dip into multifamily |
| I think where we had more idiosyncratic challenges partially influenced by some of the recent performance in a few strategies in the institutional space |
| But cognizant that results from mortality for the last year has not met our expectations |
| Just on the whole commercial real estate market, we'll call it concern that NYCB has created and you've had some other issues occurring here, they get started with a people were -- have been concerned about office and now it seems to be spreading to multifamily |
| Next, below-plan alternative equity investment returns reduced non-GAAP earnings per share by $0.42 in 2023 |
| Robin Raju So 2023 was a challenging year for Protection Solutions |
| I would add, that's amplified by, I would say, asset volatility given the geopolitical uncertainty going forward |
| First, in 2023, elevated mortality reduced non-GAAP earnings per share by $0.36 relative to our normal expectation |
| After adjusting for notable items, non-GAAP operating EPS was $5.13, which is up 3% compared to prior year, while short-term headwinds put pressure on earnings this past year |
| This affected earnings across most segments, with the biggest impact in Protection Solutions, Group Retirement and Corporate and Other |
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