00945 Overview

Approval for Share Buyback: MANULIFE-S has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange for a normal course issuer bid allowing the purchase of up to 42 million common shares, approximately 2.5% of its total shares outstanding.

Timeline for Purchases: The share buyback program is set to commence on 24 February 2026 and will continue until 23 February 2027, or until the purchases are completed earlier.

Stock Performance: PRU (02378.HK) and AIA (01299.HK) experienced declines of 8% and 4% respectively, influenced by weak sales from MANULIFE-S and concerns over AI disruptions.

Short Selling Data: PRU had short selling of $980.80K with a ratio of 1.625%, while AIA saw significantly higher short selling at $515.96M and a ratio of 11.135%.

Goldman Sachs Outlook: Despite recent declines, Goldman Sachs maintains a positive outlook, reiterating a Buy rating for both PRU and AIA, citing an attractive risk-reward profile at current valuations.

Target Prices: Goldman Sachs has set target prices of HKD96 for AIA and HKD150 for PRU, indicating confidence in their growth potential despite market fluctuations.

Market Performance: The HSI closed at 27,032, down 233 points (0.9%), with significant declines in the HSCEI and HSTECH, while total market turnover reached HKD238.705 billion.

Company Earnings: BUD APAC was the worst-performing blue-chip stock, down 5.2% after reporting a 32.6% drop in net profit. Other companies like Lenovo and NetEase also saw declines despite some reporting increased profits.

Regulatory Actions: The Beijing Municipal Market Supervision Bureau engaged with 12 online ticket sales platforms, resulting in declines for companies like Trip.com and Meituan, which fell 3.9% and 4.5%, respectively.

AI Sector Growth: Following Premier Li Qiang's call for AI innovation, AI stocks like SenseTime and Knowledge Atlas saw significant gains, with Knowledge Atlas soaring 28.7% after launching a new product.

Company Announcement: MANULIFE-S (00945.HK) has released its full-year and fourth-quarter results for the year ending December 31, 2025.

Financial Performance: The report indicates that there was no change in the stock price, remaining at 0.000 (0.000%).

Company Overview: MANULIFE-S (00945.HK) has shown a growth-centric approach, focusing on strong potential in Asia, global wealth management, and AI transformation to enhance client services.

Financial Outlook: DBS Group Research has raised its target price for MANULIFE-S from $290 to $310, maintaining a "Buy" rating, anticipating that the company's strategies will help meet its 2027 financial goals.

Valuation Insights: The current share price is trading at 1.5x the forecasted price-to-book ratio for FY2026, nearing the valuation peak of the last five years, indicating potential for further re-rating.

Market Considerations: Investors are advised to be cautious of factors such as significant interest rate drops, increased equity market volatility, and slower growth in Asian markets that could impact performance.