Sector Snap: Insurance Companies Rise

NEW YORK (AP) — Insurance stocks got a boost as the broader market rallied Tuesday, helped by positive comments from UBS.

UBS resumed coverage of the industry, releasing comments on 13 companies, including higher ratings for Aflac Inc. and The Hartford Financial Services Group.

Analyst Andrew Kligerman mostly kept UBS's previous calls on the companies, including maintaining "Buy" ratings for Ameriprise Financial, Genworth Financial Inc., Lincoln National Corp., MetLife, The Phoenix Companies Inc. and Reinsurance Group of America Inc.

Of that group, the biggest percentage gainer was Phoenix, which added 11 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $3.14 in afternoon trading. In dollar terms, the best performer was Reinsurance Group, which added 83 cents, or 2 percent, to $44.73. Only Ameriprise lost ground, slipping 20 cents to $36.

Kligerman also kept "Neutral" ratings on Conseco Inc., Manulife Financial, National Financial Partners and Protective Life. Manulife added 58 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $20.98 and National Financial rose 40 cents, or 5 percent, to $8.65. Conseco was the only down stock in this group, dipping 23 cents, or 4.4 percent, to $5.06.