I-Pru Life: Retail focused portfolio, no investment risks augur well

Share of protection at 17 per cent in Q2 was its best-ever performance

It’s rare for a firm to constantly cede market share, record a decline in growth quarter after quarter, and yet have the Street’s confidence in the stock remain unwavering. If anything, it has improved of late.

ICICI Prudential Life (I-Pru Life), which held top spot in the industry during listing in 2016, has now slipped to third.

Despite the steepest fall in premium inflows year-to-date — down 31 per cent year-on-year — I-Pru Life enjoys 82 per cent ‘Buy’ rating, according to a Bloomberg poll of analysts.

After ranking second in terms of returns in the past, the stock has outperformed peers in