Grupo Sura 3Q 2018 Net Income Drops 10% Year-on-Year
Medellin-based insurance and asset manager Grupo Sura announced November 14 that its third quarter (3Q) 2018 net income fell 10.2% year-on-year, to COP$413 billion (US$139.2 million).
“The decrease is due to the impact of the difference in the rate of exchange [falling Colombian peso versus U.S. dollar],” the company noted.
However, Suramericana insurance-division profits rose 33.2% year-on-year, while profit for the Sura AM division dipped 2.6%, as a results in differences in the rates of exchange.
Grupo Sura saw a 1.5% dip in assets, to COP$67.9 trillion (US$22.86 billion), while liabilities decreased by 1.4%, to COP$42.2 trillion (US$14.2 billion). Equity dipped 1.6%, ending at COP$25.8 trillion (US$8.68 billion).
“For the third quarter of 2018, we showed a positive operating performance for our subsidiaries, strategic decisions to not participate in some businesses, and external issues such as the volatility of capital markets,” according to the company.
For nine-months 2018, net income is up 0.7%, at COP$1.1 trillion (US$371.9 million), according to the company. The nine-month gain “is the result of a 7.7% increase in net income for Sura Asset Management, to COP$479 billion (US$161.3 million), plus a 0.5% increase for Suramericana, for a total of COP$394.8 billion (US$132.8 million),” as well as income from its partial holdings in Bancolombia and Grupo Nutresa.
Total revenue dipped 4.3%, to COP$14.5 trillion (US$4.48 billion), as a result of a “decision to not participate in pension insurance in Colombia, lower revenue from the investments in the portfolios of the subsidiaries, and the devaluation in Argentina,” according to Sura.
“These factors have been partially offset by higher revenue from commissions for the pension business, and the provision of health services in Colombia.
“Sura Asset Management, our subsidiary expert in pensions, savings, and investment, had a 6.6% increase in revenue from commissions in its mandatory pension business, while the voluntary savings business rose by 15.1% in comparable terms. It had a total of 19.8 million clients, an annual increase of 3.6%, while assets under management (AUM) represent COP$412.8 trillion (US$138.9 billion) and grew 7.5% compared to September 2017.
“In turn, Suramericana, our subsidiary specialized in insurance management, trends and risks, had increase revenue, in comparable terms, from all its segments: general (8.1%), life (13%), and health (20.5%).
“In addition, the rate of retained claims improved by going from 55.5% to 54.3%, and technical results increased to 8.3%, in spite of the decrease in premiums for not participating in retirement insurance in Colombia,” according to the company.
