Friday, February 4, 2011

AETNA reports better profits and large dividend

WASHINGTON - MARCH 4:   Aetna Chairman, CEO & ...Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Aetna Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2010 Results


  • Fourth-quarter 2010 operating earnings per share(1) were $.63; compared to the Thomson-First Call mean of $.62
  • Full-year 2010 operating earnings per share were $3.68; compared to the Thomson-First Call mean of $3.65
  • Net income per share was $.53 for the fourth quarter 2010 and $4.18 for the full year
  • Commercial medical benefit ratio was 80.7 percent in the fourth quarter 2010 and 80.6 percent for the full year 2010
  • Medical membership totaled 18.5 million members at December 31, 2010
  • Company declares quarterly dividend of $.15 per share
  • Aetna projects full-year 2011 operating earnings per share of $3.70 to $3.80(2)
Related Documents

4Q10 Financial Supplement (PDF: 65 KB / 17 pages)

Guidance Summary (PDF: 21 KB / 3 pages)

HARTFORD, Conn., February 04, 2011 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced fourth-quarter
2010 operating earnings(1) of $255.0 million, or $.63 per share, a per share increase of 58 percent
over 2009. Full-year 2010 operating earnings were $1.6 billion, or $3.68 per share, a per share
increase of 34 percent over 2009. The increase in both the fourth quarter and full-year 2010 operating
earnings were largely the result of higher Commercial underwriting margins driven by management
actions to appropriately price the business, and lower utilization, as well as a reduced number of shares
outstanding, partially offset by lower Commercial Insured membership. Full-year 2010 operating
earnings also reflect favorable prior-period reserve development. Net income for the fourth quarter was
$215.6 million, or $.53 per share, including $.10 per share of net realized capital gains and other items.
Full-year net income was $1.8 billion, or $4.18 per share, a per share increase of 47 percent over 2009.
4Q10
"Aetna's strong operating results in 2010 demonstrate the significant performance

improvement we have made by remaining disciplined while focusing on customer

needs," said Ronald A. Williams, chairman. "As it becomes even more imperative to

address quality and affordability in health care, Aetna will play an increasingly important

role. I am confident that we are well-positioned with the right management team and

long-term strategy to capitalize on the domestic and global opportunities in health care."

"Our company's success, as always, is centered on creating value for our customers

by offering innovative products and services that improve quality and help manage costs

through integrated benefit designs and member engagement," said Mark T. Bertolini, CEO

and president. "Even as we continue to navigate through a difficult economy, we are squarely

focused on making investments in our business that can help meet the needs of current and

future customers."


(from an updown.com video report link) Health insurer Aetna (AET) posted fourth quarter earnings of $215.6 million, or $0.53 per share today, compared to $165.9 million, or $0.38 per share, in the same quarter last year. Operating earnings of $0.63 per share were just ahead of analyst expectations. Revenue dipped 2%, to $8.5 billion. Aetnas earnings expectations of $3.70 to $3.80 per share for 2011 are well ahead of analyst forecasts. The company also said it is moving to a quarterly dividend program, and its first quarterly dividend will be $0.15 per share, paid in April. Its latest annual dividend of $0.04 per share was paid in November. Also today, pharmaceutical services company AmerisouceBergen (ABC) posted fiscal first quarter earnings of $160.5 million, or $0.57 per share, compared to $151.3 million, or $0.52 per share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue grew by about 3%, to $19.89 billion. Results were just ahead of analyst expectations. AmerisourceBergen said it expects to earn $2.31 to $2.41 per share in 2011, while analysts are looking for about $2.38 per share. For MarketNewsVideo.com, Im Sayoko Murase.