Swiss insurer Baloise said on Thursday it plans to boost return on equity and will consider share buybacks after activist-investor Cevian Capital this week revealed it held more than 9% of the company’s stock, becoming its top stakeholder.
Baloise said in a statement that its new targets include a return on equity of 12% to 15%, cash remittance of more than 2 billion Swiss francs ($2.34 billion) in the period 2024-2027, and a higher cash payout ratio of 80% or more.
“Following careful analysis of our business activities, we have identified substantial potential for raising efficiency along with related cost savings and opportunities for growth in all our business units,” CEO Michael Mueller said.
“To unlock as much of this potential as possible, we are launching our refocusing strategy in which the emphasis is on the performance of our core business and its ability to generate value.”
The company said it will look into launching an initial share buy-back program next spring.
Cevian revealed its substantial holding in Baloise on Monday, prompting demands from shareholders that the Swiss insurer should shake up its portfolio and boost returns.
Baloise was setting out its future plans as it reported that profit attributable to shareholders for the first half of 2024 rose by 6.9% to nearly 220 million francs.
Still, business volume dipped by 0.9% year-on-year to 5.29 billion francs due to unfavorable currency effects, it added.
($1 = 0.8533 Swiss francs)
(Writing by Dave Graham; editing by Rachel More and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Topics Carriers
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