4 Undervalued Insurance - Life & Health Stocks for Friday, March 10

By AAII Staff
March 10, 2023
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
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Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 4 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Insurance - Life & Health industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Latest Insurance - Life & Health Stock News

Before choosing which top Insurance - Life & Health stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

The fundamental outlook on the life & health insurance industry is neutral. While interest rates have risen, they still remain below long-term historical averages, making asset/liability management challenging for this group (given the long-term nature of many of its policyholder obligations). Offsetting this trend is the recovery of the global economy in the aftermath of COVID-19. Longer-term, there are some positive demographic trends, including an aging population’s need to save for retirement and the coming of age of millennials. Against this very mixed backdrop, we think the insurance industry is at an inflection point, with many industry participants rationalizing their businesses by revamping products, raising prices (where possible), and exiting high-risk or non-strategic businesses. While we applaud this strategy, we think this revamping injects a degree of execution risk into the life insurance industry, as not every firm may be able to successfully complete such a strategy. Moreover, a flood of non-strategic assets coming to market, some from distressed sellers, will likely dampen the value of those assets.

Why Focus on Undervalued Insurance - Life & Health Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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4 Undervalued Insurance - Life & Health Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 4 undervalued stocks in the Insurance - Life & Health industry for Friday, March 10, 2023. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Insurance - Life & Health industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Axa SA (ADR) AXAHY na 9.7 na na 1.00 3.5 A
Citizens, Inc. CIA 0.68 6.3 6.2 (0.9%) na 2.9 A
Corebridge Financial Inc CRBG 0.42 1.0 1.5 4.9% 1.59 3.9 A
Sun Life Financial Inc SLF 0.93 12.5 2.3 5.0% 1.41 na A

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Axa SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score AXAHY Industry Median
Price/Sales na na 0.93
Price/Earnings 29 9.7 8.8
EV/EBITDA na na 6.1
Shareholder Yield na na 4.2%
Price/Book Value 28 1.00 1.49
Price/Free Cash Flow 10 3.5 3.7

AXA SA (AXA) is a France-based holding company engaged in the business of financial protection. AXA offers a broad range of products through business segments: Life & Savings, Property & Casualty, Health, Asset Management, and Banking. Its offering covers motor, household, property and general liability insurance, banking, savings vehicles, and other investment-based products for both Personal/Individual and Commercial/Group customers, as well as health, protection, and retirement products for individual or professional customers. AXA operates in seven geographical segments: France, Europe, Asia, AXA XL, the United States, International and Transversal & Central Holdings. AXA SA is the holding company of AXA Group.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Axa SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Axa SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 9.69 compared to the industry median at 8.81. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Axa SA (ADR) less attractive for value investors.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Axa SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.49. This could make Axa SA (ADR) more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Axa SA (ADR)’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Axa SA (ADR)’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 3.69. This could make Axa SA (ADR) more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Axa SA (ADR) is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.

Citizens, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score CIA Industry Median
Price/Sales 24 0.68 0.93
Price/Earnings 14 6.3 8.8
EV/EBITDA 29 6.2 6.1
Shareholder Yield 57 (0.9%) 4.2%
Price/Book Value na na 1.49
Price/Free Cash Flow 8 2.9 3.7

Citizens, Inc. is an insurance holding company serving the life insurance needs of individuals in. The Company’s segments include Life Insurance segment and Home Service Insurance segment. Life Insurance segment primarily consist of the collection of renewal premiums on ordinary whole life and final expense policies issued to middle and lower income families and individuals in certain markets in the Mountain West, Midwest and Southern U.S. Life Insurance segment also sells credit life and credit accident and health insurance domestically. Home Service Insurance segment markets through, its subsidiaries Security Plan Life Insurance Company, Magnolia Guaranty Life Insurance Company (MGLIC) and Security Plan Fire Insurance Company (SPFIC). Home Service Insurance segment also sells property insurance policies covering dwellings and content. The Company’s polices are sold and serviced through funeral homes and independent agents who sell policies, collect premiums and service policyholders.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Citizens, Inc. has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.

Citizens, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 6.3 compared to the industry median at 8.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Citizens, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

You can read more about Citizens, Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Corebridge Financial Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score CRBG Industry Median
Price/Sales 16 0.42 0.93
Price/Earnings 1 1.0 8.8
EV/EBITDA 5 1.5 6.1
Shareholder Yield 17 4.9% 4.2%
Price/Book Value 53 1.59 1.49
Price/Free Cash Flow 11 3.9 3.7

Corebridge Financial Inc is a provider of retirement solutions and insurance products in the United States committed to helping individuals plan, save for, and achieve secure financial futures. It operates through five segments: Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, Life Insurance, Institutional Markets, and Corporate and Other. Individual Retirement consists of fixed annuities, fixed index annuities, variable annuities, and retail mutual funds. Group Retirement consists of record-keeping, plan administration and compliance services, financial planning and advisory solutions offered in-plan, along with proprietary and non-proprietary annuities, advisory and brokerage products offered out-of-plan. Life Insurance includes products in the United States including term life and universal life insurance. Institutional Markets consist of stable value wraps (SVW) products, structured settlement and pension risk transfer (PRT) annuities, corporate- and bank-owned life insurance, high net worth products, and guaranteed investment contracts (GICs).

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Corebridge Financial Inc has a Value Score of 97, which is considered to be undervalued.

Corebridge Financial Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 1.0 compared to the industry median at 8.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Corebridge Financial Inc more attractive for value investors.

Corebridge Financial Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Corebridge Financial Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.49.

You can read more about Corebridge Financial Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Sun Life Financial Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score SLF Industry Median
Price/Sales 32 0.93 0.93
Price/Earnings 40 12.5 8.8
EV/EBITDA 8 2.3 6.1
Shareholder Yield 17 5.0% 4.2%
Price/Book Value 48 1.41 1.49
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 3.7

Sun Life Financial Inc. is a Canada-based financial services company that provides a diverse range of insurance, wealth and asset management solutions. The Company's segments include Canada, United States (U.S.), Asset Management, Asia and Corporate. The Canada segment provides protection, health, and wealth solutions. The U.S. segment provides group benefits such as group insurance products and services in the United States market. The Asset Management segment comprises of MFS and SLC Management. MFS is an asset management firm, which offers selection of financial products and services. SLC Management is an institutional investment management business that delivers liability driven investing, alternative fixed income, infrastructure and real estate solutions. The Asia segment consists of two business units: Local Markets and International Hubs. Local Markets provides life, health, wealth and asset management solutions. The Company also provides U.S. Medicaid dental benefits.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Sun Life Financial Inc has a Value Score of 86, which is considered to be undervalued.

Sun Life Financial Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 12.5 compared to the industry median at 8.8. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Sun Life Financial Inc less attractive for value investors.

Sun Life Financial Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Sun Life Financial Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.49.

You can read more about Sun Life Financial Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

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Other Insurance - Life & Health Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Insurance - Life & Health stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 4 Best Insurance - Life & Health Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

  • Axa SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Citizens, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Corebridge Financial Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Sun Life Financial Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 4 undervalued stocks in the Insurance - Life & Health industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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Additional Resources About Insurance - Life & Health Stocks

Want to learn more about Insurance - Life & Health stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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