Why is the QBE (ASX:QBE) share price in the green this week?

Man wearing green shirt and pink watch flexes his muscle.Man wearing green shirt and pink watch flexes his muscle.Man wearing green shirt and pink watch flexes his muscle.

Key points

  • The QBE share price is surging 8% this week
  • The company has joined the UN-convened Net-Zero Insurance Alliance this week
  • Brokers at Morgans named it one of the best financial shares to buy in February

The QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) share price is rocketing ahead this week.

The company’s shares have soared 8% since market close on 28 January. In today’s trading, the QBE share price is up by 2.56% to $12.03. In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is falling 0.39% today.

QBE Insurance was established in 1886 in Queensland but has now expanded to employ 11,000 workers in more than 25 countries worldwide.

Let’s take a look at what might be impacting the company this week.

What’s happening at QBE?

The QBE share price is not only up this week — it’s surged 43% in the past year. This week, QBE was named by Morgans as one of the best financial shares to buy in February.

The broker has given QBE an “add” rating with a $14.32 price target on its share. That’s 19% more than the current share price.

In other news this week, the company has become a member of the United Nations-convened Net Zero Insurance Alliance.

QBE has committed to transitioning its investment portfolio to net-zero by 2050.

In a news update from the company, QBE said:

As part of the UN-convened net zero insurance alliance, we’ll work with the insurance industry to help define the methodology needed to assess the carbon intensity of underwriting portfolios and setting science-based intermediate targets.

We commit to the gradual transition of our underwriting portfolio to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as we continue to also support our customers’ transition to a net-zero economy.

Broker JP Morgan recently named QBE as part of a “Super 7” list, suggesting it could deliver returns of up to 30% this year.

Finally, QBE’s European operations have recently launched a sustainable energies unit. Its European operations are part of the wider QBE Insurance Group.

The new unit will help QBE’s customers transition to lower-carbon energy.

QBE share price snap shot

The QBE share price has climbed nearly 6% this year to date. In the last week alone, it’s gained around 9%.

In contrast, the broader ASX 200 has returned just over 3% in the past 52 weeks.

QBE has a market capitalisation of $17.7 billion based on its current share price.

The post Why is the QBE (ASX:QBE) share price in the green this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Should you invest $1,000 in QBE Insurance right now?

Before you consider QBE Insurance, you’ll want to hear this.

Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and QBE Insurance wasn’t one of them.

The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

*Returns as of January 13th 2022

More reading

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/6yRSmBpAe

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *