HK Stock Market Move | AIA (01299) rises by more than 3%. The new business value increased by 15% last year. It plans to implement a new round of $1.7 billion buyback.

AIA (01299) rose by more than 3%, reaching a 3.5% increase at the time of writing, at 85.7 Hong Kong dollars with a turnover of 1.38 billion Hong Kong dollars. In terms of news, AIA released its 2025 annual performance yesterday, with growth rates all listed based on fixed exchange rates: - New business value increased by 15% to 5.516 billion US dollars - After-tax operating surplus was 7.136 billion US dollars, a per share increase of 12% - Shareholders' distribution equity operating return reached 15.5%, an increase of 70 basis points - Final dividend increased by 10% to 144.08 Hong Kong cents per share. Additionally, AIA announced a new 1.7 billion US dollar buyback plan, with 1 billion US dollars being an additional buyback after reviewing the capital condition. AIA Group's Chief Executive Officer and President, Lee Yuan Siong, stated that the goal of the new round of share buybacks is to start as soon as possible under feasible conditions and is expected to be completed by 2026. A report from Lyon Securities pointed out that AIA had steady growth in new business last year, strong cash generation capacity, and improved capital efficiency. The firm expects the company's capital efficiency to continue to improve this year, driving total shareholder return higher than market expectations, while new business value is also expected to grow by around 15% (mid-teens). They slightly adjusted their profit forecast for AIA, maintained an "outperform the market" rating, retained a target price of 110 Hong Kong dollars, and continued to view AIA as the preferred stock in the Asian insurance industry.