保诚：US$2bn share buybacks brace for sustainable shareholders return; supportive to HK liquidity

Investment Rating - Maintain BUY with a target price of HK$137.8, implying an upside of 83.7$75.00 [2][4]. Core Insights - Prudential Plc. announced a US$2 billion share buyback plan to be completed by mid-2026, alongside a projected annual dividend growth of 7$700 million buyback will occur from June 24, 2024, to December 27, 2024, with an estimated reduction of approximately 78 million ordinary shares in FY24E [2]. - The company’s free surplus ratio remains strong at over 200%, with a free surplus of US$8.5 billion in 2023, indicating robust capital management [2][4]. - The buyback is expected to enhance liquidity for the Hong Kong-listed shares, which currently have a low floating share percentage of 6.73$4.4 billion by 2027 [2][4]. Financial Performance Summary - Net profit is projected to increase from US$1.712 billion in FY23A to US$2.149 billion in FY24E, with operating EPS expected to rise from US$0.85 in FY23A to US$0.95 in FY24E [4][12]. - The Group's embedded value per share is forecasted to grow from US$16.4 in FY23A to US$18.4 in FY24E [4][12]. - The return on equity (ROE) is expected to improve from 9.8% in FY23A to 11.5% in FY24E [4][12]. Valuation Metrics - The stock is currently trading at a P/EV of 0.52x for FY24E, with a target P/EV of 0.95x [2][4]. - The projected dividend yield for FY24E is 2.3%, increasing to 2.5% in FY25E [4][12]. - The company’s net business profit (NBP) is anticipated to reach US$4.9-5.0 billion by FY27E, reflecting an 18% CAGR [2][4].