Core Viewpoint - Brighthouse Financial held a special meeting on February 12, 2026, where stockholders voted on three proposals related to a merger agreement, with all proposals passing, including the merger with Aquarian [1][6]. Meeting Formalities and Quorum - The meeting was called to order by Board Chairman Chuck Chaplin at 8:01 a.m. Eastern, adhering to company bylaws [3]. - Corporate Secretary Jacob M. Jenkelowitz confirmed that the notice of the special meeting was mailed starting January 7, 2026, and that a quorum was present, with a majority of shares outstanding represented [4]. Proposals Presented - The meeting agenda included three proposals, which were described in the proxy materials, and the polls were opened at 8:03 a.m. Eastern [5]. - Preliminary results indicated that the merger agreement from November 6, 2025, was approved, along with an advisory vote on merger-related executive compensation and an adjournment contingency [6].

分组1 - Voya Financial reported quarterly earnings of $1.94 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.11 per share, representing an earnings surprise of -7.97% [1] - The company posted revenues of $316 million for the quarter ended December 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.94%, compared to year-ago revenues of $174 million [2] - Voya has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times over the last four quarters, indicating a generally positive trend in earnings performance [2] 分组2 - The current consensus EPS estimate for the coming quarter is $2.13 on revenues of $315.62 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $10.02 on revenues of $1.38 billion [7] - The Zacks Industry Rank for Insurance - Life Insurance is currently in the top 12% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable outlook for the industry [8] - Voya shares have increased about 4% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 1.9% [3]

Investment Rating - The report indicates a positive outlook for the private equity (PE) industry, highlighting a resurgence in deal activity and a strong market environment, suggesting a favorable investment rating for the sector in 2025 [8][9]. Core Insights - The private equity sector experienced a significant rebound in 2025, with total deal activity surpassing 9,000 transactions and an aggregate value of approximately $1.2 trillion, marking only the second time in history that deal value exceeded $1 trillion [8][34]. - The second half of 2025 saw a strong recovery in deal flow, compensating for a slowdown in Q2 due to market volatility, with 4,560 deals valued at $632.2 billion [35]. - The report emphasizes the importance of mega-sized transactions, with 150 megadeals totaling $567.8 billion, surpassing previous years and indicating a strong appetite for large-scale investments [9][34]. Summary by Sections Executive Summary - The PE industry rebounded strongly in 2025, achieving a total deal value of $1,155.5 billion, with a year-over-year growth of 36.3% [7]. - Exit activity also saw significant growth, with exit values reaching $728.1 billion, a 90.1% increase from the previous year [7]. Deals - The total number of PE deals in 2025 was 9,019, with a deal count increase of 5.9% year-over-year [7]. - Buyout/LBO transactions accounted for $616.6 billion, reflecting a 57.4% increase compared to 2024 [7]. Fundraising - Fundraising in 2025 was noted as the weakest since 2020, with significant declines in both fund count and capital raised, despite increasing exit activity [12]. - The dry powder in the PE market reached an all-time high of $1.1 trillion, indicating potential for future deal-making [12]. Performance - The report highlights a bifurcation in the market, with large, high-conviction investments performing well, while lower and middle market activities remained muted [72]. - The healthcare sector saw a notable increase in deal value, driven by a few mega-transactions, with a 43.4% rise in total PE-backed healthcare deal value [72]. Valuations - Median global M&A EV/EBITDA multiples reached 10x, recovering from previous lows and indicating a strong valuation environment for PE deals [81]. - PE buyout valuations showed a mixed trend, with EBITDA multiples adjusting down slightly to 12.3x, while revenue multiples increased significantly to 2.5x [82].

Core Insights - The article introduces "The Undercovered Dozen," a selection of twelve actionable investment ideas focusing on tickers with less coverage, which can include both large caps and small caps [1] Group 1: Inclusion Criteria - Tickers must have a market cap greater than $100 million [1] - Tickers should have received more than 800 symbol page views in the last 90 days on Seeking Alpha [1] - Tickers must have fewer than two articles published in the past 30 days [1] Group 2: Purpose and Benefits - The initiative aims to highlight investment opportunities that may be overlooked by the market [1] - Following this account will provide a weekly review of these undercovered ideas from analysts [1]

Core Viewpoint - The State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE) offers broad exposure to the Financials - Insurance segment, appealing to both institutional and retail investors due to its low cost and transparency [1][2]. Fund Overview - KIE was launched on November 8, 2005, and has accumulated assets exceeding $579.35 million, positioning it as an average-sized ETF in its category [3]. - The ETF aims to replicate the performance of the S&P Insurance Select Industry Index, which represents the insurance segment of the S&P Total Market Index [3]. Cost Structure - KIE has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.35%, making it one of the more affordable options in the ETF space [4]. - The ETF offers a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.59% [4]. Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF is fully allocated to the Financials sector, providing diversified exposure while minimizing single stock risk [5]. - Key holdings include Lemonade Inc (3.01% of total assets), Brighthouse Financial Inc, and White Mountains Insurance Group, with the top 10 holdings comprising approximately 22.09% of total assets [6]. Performance Metrics - As of January 5, 2026, KIE has experienced a year-to-date loss of about 1.08% but is up approximately 7.69% over the past year [7]. - The ETF has traded between $53.63 and $61.12 in the last 52 weeks, with a beta of 0.69 and a standard deviation of 17.04% over the trailing three-year period, indicating medium risk [7]. Alternatives - KIE holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting it is a viable option for investors seeking exposure to the Financials ETFs market [8]. - Other alternatives include Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (KBWP) with $287.73 million in assets and iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK) with $492.20 million in assets, both with competitive expense ratios [9].

Core Insights - The article does not provide any specific information or insights regarding a company or industry [1] Summary by Categories - No relevant content available for summarization [1]

Core Viewpoint - SiriusPoint Ltd. has appointed Maria Tarhanidis as Chief Investment Officer, effective December 2, 2025, to enhance its investment strategy and support long-term financial performance [1][3]. Group 1: Appointment Details - Maria Tarhanidis will join the senior leadership team and report to CFO Jim McKinney [3]. - Her responsibilities will include managing strategic asset allocation, overseeing investment results, and monitoring portfolio risk for SiriusPoint and its subsidiaries [3]. Group 2: Experience and Background - Tarhanidis has over 25 years of experience in investment management, previously serving as Managing Director and Head of Alternative Investments at Brighthouse Financial [4]. - She has held senior positions at MetLife, General Motors Asset Management, and Deutsche Bank [5]. Group 3: Leadership Insights - CFO Jim McKinney highlighted Tarhanidis as a respected investment leader with a strong track record in delivering investment performance [6]. - Tarhanidis expressed her eagerness to collaborate with the leadership team to build a world-class investment platform that adds value for shareholders [6].

Group 1 - Brighthouse Financial (BHF) has been added to the Zacks Rank 5 (Strong Sell) List, with a significant downward revision of 67.6% in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [1] - AkzoNobel (AKZOY), a leading global paints and coatings company, has experienced a 10.1% downward revision in its current year earnings estimate over the last 60 days [2] - Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (CLMB), specializing in emerging and disruptive technologies, has seen its current year earnings estimate revised downward by almost 7.6% in the past 60 days [2]

Core Insights - Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC) reported third-quarter 2025 core earnings of 84 cents per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13.5% and reflecting a 15% year-over-year improvement [1][9]. Financial Performance - Core earnings reached $1.4 billion (C$2 billion), marking a 7.6% increase year over year, driven by strong growth in Global Wealth and Asset Management (WAM), Asia, and Canada, alongside a release in expected credit loss (ECL) provision [2][9]. - New business value (NBV) for the quarter was $657 million (C$906 million), up 6.3% year over year, attributed to higher sales volumes in Asia, Canada, and the U.S. division [3]. - Annualized premium equivalent (APE) sales increased by 8% year over year, supported by higher sales in Asia, Canada, and the U.S. division [3][9]. - Wealth and asset management assets under management and administration totaled $774 billion (C$1,066 billion), reflecting a 9.6% year-over-year increase [4]. Segment Performance - Global WAM's core earnings were $381 million (C$525 million), up 9% year over year, driven by higher net fee income and performance fees [6]. - The Asia division reported core earnings of $550 million, a 29% increase year over year, due to continued business growth and improved insurance experience [7]. - The Canada division's core earnings were $310 million (C$428 million), up 2.6% year over year, driven by higher investment spreads and business growth in group insurance [8]. - The U.S. division's core earnings decreased by 20% year over year to $241 million, primarily due to unfavorable life insurance claims experience [9]. Key Metrics - Core return on equity expanded by 150 basis points year over year to 18.1% [4][9]. - Adjusted book value per common share increased by 12% year over year to $38.22 [5].

Upgrades - JPMorgan upgraded Outfront Media (OUT) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $25, up from $19, citing the out-of-home channel as the most resilient traditional advertising market with improved momentum in Q3 [2] - Guggenheim upgraded Grail (GRAL) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $100, noting that while Galleri is not a perfect test, it remains the leading commercially available MCED test with a significant data moat [3] - Piper Sandler upgraded Floor & Decor (FND) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $80, up from $75, highlighting potential for comparable sales improvement by Q1 of 2026 [4] - KeyBanc upgraded Progyny (PGNY) to Overweight from Sector Weight with a price target of $30, indicating limited share downside and several positive catalysts over the next 12 months [4] - KeyBanc upgraded AT&T (T) to Overweight from Sector Weight with a price target of $30, attributing the recent share pullback to overblown wireless competition concerns [5] Downgrades - Raymond James downgraded Bath & Body Works (BBWI) to Market Perform from Outperform, stating that the company's growth will be below its long-term potential due to slow improvements in digital capabilities and distribution [6] - Wolfe Research downgraded Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) to Peer Perform from Outperform, citing safety issues with nexiguran ziclumeran as a hindrance to the bull thesis [6] - Raymond James double downgraded Brighthouse Financial (BHF) to Market Perform from Strong Buy, referencing the announcement of its acquisition deal for $70 per share [6] - Raymond James double downgraded Centerspace (CSR) to Market Perform from Strong Buy, noting that while the portfolio is attractive for potential buyers, the recent rally has closed the valuation gap with multifamily peers [6] - Northland downgraded QuickLogic (QUIK) to Market Perform from Outperform, maintaining a price target of $5.95, after the company reported revenue in line with guidance and uncertainty regarding a $3M contract [6]