[TOP STORY] Momentum Metropolitan ‘massively cheap’

SIMON BROWN: I’m chatting now with Keith McLachlan – you’ll come across him at Integral Asset Management. Keith, I value the early morning time. A Momentum Metropolitan trading update [came out] yesterday … for the 9 months ending March. We’ll touch on that in a sec, but I’m intrigued in their comment close to floods in KZN. Now, of system these floods ended up in April. They fall outside the time period, but they did have some factors to make around it.

KEITH McLACHLAN: Definitely. Morning, Simon. Momentum unpacked their exposure, and the second you chop out reinsurance, they have only about R50 million that they foresee is likely to knock their fourth quarter. Far more importantly, this quarterly trading update for the 9 months contains the Omicron wave they arrived by way of as a lifetime insurer – properly, predominantly a lifestyle insurance provider since they have a elaborate small business, and there is a great deal additional in the mix than just everyday living insurance coverage – while predominantly as a everyday living insurer they were being additional exposed to the Covid surplus mortality more than the last about two, I do not know, [how many] yrs. [Laughing]

SIMON BROWN: Yeah, two and a little bit. Overall, this trading update is for a longer period than some companies’ established of final results, and which is mainly because coverage is advanced and because Metropolitan itself is a complex beast.

But usually a superior set of numbers. I value this foundation outcome simply because, whilst there was Covid below, of course to March of 2021 there was a whole lot extra of it as we went as a result of some a lot even worse waves. But nevertheless I imagined not a negative update.

KEITH McLACHLAN: I very like this assertion. If you go have a appear, they specifically have a section on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the group, and they say the immediate effect on the team was muted. [Chuckling]

Now, you need to have to realise what existence insurers are offering. What they seriously want is a very secure environment, everyone progressively finding healthier and residing for a longer period – that pushes out when you have to shell out these statements – and they want steadily soaring marketplaces. We have practically had the reverse of that in the very last two-odd yrs wherever, disregarding the marketplaces being unstable and the like, we have experienced a period of excess chance. So in KZN we have experienced riots and floods, and Covid has developed extra mortalities.

Anyone forgets Covid also produced enterprise interruption. So, from an insurance policy standpoint, it is been a nightmare two many years. These are actually fantastic outcomes and it demonstrates that, coming out of the back conclude of it, specifically if you glance quarter-on-quarter for the a variety of promises. They begun Q1 [ of F2022, paying out R4.6 billion] in gross mortality statements. Q2 was R2.5 billion Q3 was R1.8 billion – that is gross, so it’s not exhibiting reinsurance.

If you dig a little little bit further, they’re however sitting with about R693 million in phrases of Covid provisions on their stability sheet for Q4. But you can see Covid receding, and it’s not the virus. It is the excessive mortality of the virus that is the risk in a small business like this.

SIMON BROWN: Yeah. They are not heading to require all of that. The headline earnings [per share] they say are likely to be, for individuals 3 quarters, R1.58. The stock’s investing at R15.80. If they make very little for the fourth quarter – and of course they will [make something] – it places them on a ahead PE of about 10. This a great rate.

KEITH McLACHLAN: I would concentration much more on the embedded worth in Momentum. For the listeners’ gain, embedded worth is efficiently where the actuaries inside of Momentum go and present-benefit all the expenditures and all the expenditures and all the revenues and all the rates and envisioned promises. Generally they are creating an actuarial DCF [discounted cash flow] – that is what embedded value is. Okay, it is an extremely simplistic look at, and they would shoot me for expressing that, but that’s what it is.

Now, if you go and have a search at Momentum’s share price tracking its embedded worth, its 10-calendar year historic ordinary is about a 17% discount to that embedded benefit, so the market normally trades it marginally under. If you have a look at Sanlam, Sanlam trades nearly one particular-to-1 with its embedded price. This is a really critical metric, but [for] Momentum at this level, the embedded worth grew around this period and is sitting down at R28.77, vs . a share price of R15.80 and some transform. It’s a 44% discounted to its embedded price. This stock is massively low-priced, and nevertheless it is experiencing tailwinds as Covid recedes [CEO Hillie Meyer and financial director Risto Ketola] clean up up the group and travel earnings and embedded worth. Points are relocating in its favour. This is, in my impression, extremely affordable.

SIMON BROWN: Yeah. I was seeking at that, and I’m making an attempt to uncover the chart for it. I’ll come across it and I’ll tweet it later on in the day. But surely that embedded benefit discounted does glimpse somewhat extreme. Keith McLachlan of Integral Asset Management, I appreciate the early morning.

Here is the embedded price chart @keithmclachlan mentioned talking about Momentum Metropolitan

Large low cost#JSE https://t.co/kCy9ccdZoK pic.twitter.com/bhGMJaFn2o

— Simon Brown (@SimonPB) Could 31, 2022