Allianz SE (ALVd)

What is Allianz?

Allianz (ALV) is a German provider of financial services with a vast network of subsidiaries in more than 70 countries. Founded in Berlin in 1890, and currently headquartered in Munich, the company serves around 88 million retail and corporate customers worldwide. The company’s core businesses are insurance and asset management. Allianz is one of the world’s leading insurers, both for property & casualty and life & health. The company is also one of the largest asset managers in the world, with around €1,960 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2017.

Who are the key people at Allianz?

Oliver Bäte is Chairman of the Board of Management of Allianz SE (CEO). After starting his career at McKinsey & Co., he joined Allianz in 2008 as Chief Operating Officer. He has been CEO since May 2015. Other leading figures at the company include Chief Operating Officer Christof Mascher and Chief Financial Officer Giulio Terzariol.

What is the modern history of Allianz?

Allianz was founded in 1890 by insurance specialist Carl Thieme and banker Wilhelm Finck, with start-up capital of 4 million marks. Just three years later it moved into international markets with the opening of an office in London, and by 1914 Allianz had operations across Europe and in the United States.

In the early 1970s Allianz became Europe’s largest insurer. In 1986 it acquired Cornhill Insurance, giving the company a strong U.K. presence for the first time. The 1991 acquisition of the U.S. Firemen's Fund Insurance Company gave Allianz a nationwide presence in the United States; and in 1997 Allianz took over Assurances Générales de France. The following year saw the creation of Allianz Asset Management.

The new millennium saw the acquisition (in 2001) and then sale (in 2008) of Dresdner Bank. Another key development came in 2010 with the creation of an internal services company called Allianz Managed Operations and Services.

What are the latest developments at Allianz?

Allianz reported strong results for the full year 2017, chiefly due to higher performance in Asset Management and Life and Health.Total revenues for the group rose 3.0% to €126.1 billion, while operating profit edged up 0.4% to €11.1 billion. This was in the upper half of the group’s target range of €10.3 billion to €11.3 billion.Basic Earnings per Share were €15.24 for the year.

The Allianz share price, which plunged dramatically from 2001-03, has charted a steady upward path since the global financial crisis. After falling to a low of just €46 in 2008, the shares were trading at over €100 by 2013 and nudged over the €200 mark in early 2018. To find out how the shares are doing right now, follow Capital.com. Our ALVd chartputs all the information at your fingertips.

Where does Allianz operate?

Allianz is based in Munich, Germany, and operates on almost every continent. The insurer’s deepest roots are in its home market of northern, western and southern Europe, but Allianz is also one of the leading international insurance companies in central and eastern Europe and in Asia Pacific. It has a presence in America too, from Canada and the USA to Argentina; and in African countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and South Africa. As of December 2017, over 140,000 people worked within Allianz Group worldwide.

Where is Allianz traded?

Allianz shares are traded on Xetra and on all German stock exchanges, and they are a constituent of the DAX Index. Check out Capital.com for the latest ALVd chart. We’ll keep you up to date and in the picture.