America Insurance Group Company Financial Analysis (Research Paper Sample)

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America Insurance Group Company Financial Analysis
Company History
American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a New York Based Insurance company that offers various forms of insurance to its clients. The company boasts of over 80 million customers spanning across over 120 countries. The company mainly deals with providing insurance products and services to different users such as individual users, commercial and institutions within the United States and many other countries across the world. The company got established in the year 1919 by American businessman Cornelius Vander Starr. The company witnessed an unmatched growth during the early 2000s and in the process it gained considerable ground in the US economy. During this period, the company acquired American General Corporation that was at the time regarded as a major domestic life insurance and annuities provider. It was during this period that AIG further expanded its presence across the world notably entering the India market.
Products offered
AIG has a Commercial Insurance segment that offers commercial automobile liability, general liability, workers' compensation, and crisis management causality insurance products, as well as many other products. The section also provides mortgage guaranty insurance, corporate- and bank-owned life insurance and guaranteed investment contracts. These products get sold through various means such as agency network, contracted firms, independent retail and wholesale brokers and many more. AIG also has the Consumer Insurance segment that focuses on consumer insurance products such as retirement products and group retirement products, as well as retail mutual funds and advisory services. The Consumer Insurance section uses financial institutions, financial advisors, independent marking firms, broker-dealers, independent insurance agents and many more.
Financial scandals and liquidity crisis
AIG has been involved in various financial scandals over the years with most of these scandals occurring during the period of mid-2000s. The most notable scandal was in 2005 when the company executives were found to have engaged in serious accounting frauds that cost the company and its shareholders billions US dollars. It led the company into restating its financial statements for over three years. The global financial crisis also significantly affected the company as it almost collapsed. The US Federal Reserve Bank had to step in to prevent the company from going under through bailout worth US$85 billion. The company was then forced to pay back this loan through the years. It mainly depends on selling its assets to pay back the government.
In the year 2011, AIG posted a series of losses in the four quarters that led to investor panic and in the process affecting the company’s share price. The prices fell by approximately 49% and have remained in that price range to date. Treasury that was a major shareholder of the company by then started selling off most of its shares in 2012. The government was able to sell effectively all its shares from the company and currently it don’t hold a single share. AIG is a publicly traded company with its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company’s current stock prices go at US$56.45. The company is currently headed by the President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Peter D. Hancock. The Company’s board of directors consists of 14 members who are responsible for major decision making within the company.
Company Strategy
AIG is an insurance company that has been offering mainly its insurance products since1967. However, the current business environment coupled up with the recent global financial crisis has brought about several changes in this industry. Companies like AIG have developed other strategies in order to survive these tough times. AIG sold most of its assets so as to remain afloat when several other businesses were failing. AIG also employed the strategy of operating as an insurance company with levered debt to equity ratio of 11 to 1as a means of providing insurance on credit default swaps. The company had to resort back to their standard strategy after the end of the financial crisis due to the risky nature of this approach.
Drivers of Profitability
The company AIG records most of its profit from its General Insurance market. The company engages in the insurance business that involves the collection of premiums from individuals or institutions and compensating on claims whenever they occur. This industry usually moves at a slower pace compared to other industries such as banking. The reliability of this industry has ensured its continuity over the years. However, the industry has been facing some issues most commonly the issue of institutions overvaluing their assets thus giving insurance companies’ financial burden when it comes to paying out on claims. Looking at AIG’s annual financial report we find out that the company had over 31,585 stockholders of record of AIG Common Stock as of February 12, 2015. The company also declared a cash dividend on all common stock of $0.125 per share, payable on March 26, 2015 to shareholders of record on March 12, 2015.
The performance graph below is a comparison of the cumulative total shareholder return on AIG Common Stock within a period of five years ranging from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2014. The AIG’s performance is compared with the return of the S&P’s 500 stock index as well as the peer group of companies. AIG is a member of S&P’s 500 while the peer group is a group of insurance companies operating in a similar business environment.
Five-Year Cumulative Total Shareholder Returns
Value of $100 Invested on Dec 31 2009
Chart Retrieved from AIG annual Financial Report as at Dec 31st 204
Competitors
AIG is a major insurance company not just in the United States market but also worldwide. Most of its competitors also operate on a global scale with their headquarters based in various capitals of the world. Recent studies suggest that insurance companies from Far Eastern countries grow faster than their counterparts here in the US. AIG faces stiff competition mainly from larger companies such as AXA, Allianz, ACE, Aflac, AEGON, Zurich, MetLife, and many more.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
AIG operates several functions across different segments of the insurance market. The company derives most of its revenue from the major sections that are the General Insurance and Life Insurance segments. These segments act as the strengths of this company, and they are highly diversified within the company. AIG can offer insurance for virtually any type of product or asset whether real or imagined. The company relies on its strong brand name and the better financial position it enjoys. It also employs crucial brand-building strategies to maintain its market.
Weaknesses
AIG has various weaknesses that need to be addressed to ensure the company maintains its growth in the long term. The company is currently experiencing a fluctuation in the global residential market that is a major revenue earner. The other problem is that the company is very market-dependent as it relies on the market. The losses suffered during the recession are still fresh on investors’ minds, and this has significantly reduced the company’s growth. Recent controversy has also pitted the company against its employees due to its employee non-payment policy.
Opportunities
AIG has continued to venture into newer markets, and this has raised the company’s profile. The company’s large pool of assets was useful in paying off debts when the company was in a financial crisis. Currently, AIG is diversifying its portfolio for more customers thus creating more opportunities. Through mergers and acquisitions, the company has been able to gain more income thus creating an opportunity for growth. Since AIG is a global company, it means it has diversified its market thus spreading its risks across these markets.
Threats
AIG has gone through a period of intense scrutiny since the occurrence of the global financial recession. The negative exposure has significantly affected the company not just within the US but in other markets across the world. The government has enacted several laws that aim to regulate the insurance industry that might affect the company negatively. The financial crisis is also a major threat as any such crisis might lead to the eventual demise of the business. The company sold a lot of assets in an attempt to pay off its debt, and this significantly reduced the liquidity of the company. The frequent occurrence of natural disasters is also a major threat to the growth of AIG.
Financial Overview
AIG Insurance Company posted revenue of over US$63 billion in revenue in the year ending December 2014. The income includes gross profits in excess of US$24 billion. It ...