London, Feb 11, 2026, 09:10 GMT — Regular session
- Legal & General shares slipped roughly 0.5% in early London trading, changing hands near 264p.
- Insurer shares have swung around following a sector-wide selloff, as investors fret that AI tools might upend how insurance gets distributed.
- Legal & General’s full-year results land March 11, drawing investor attention next.
Shares in Legal & General Group Plc (LGEN.L) edged down early Wednesday, dropping 0.5% to 264.4 pence by 0910 GMT, with numbers on a 15-minute delay. Insurers continued to look shaky as fresh chatter swirled about AI tools potentially shaking up the insurance landscape. 1
European insurance stocks took another hit after Tuesday’s slump, with investors rattled by a sharp selloff in U.S. insurance brokers. The trigger: mounting fears that new AI-driven comparison tools might eat into fees and nudge customers to shop around. “We’re seeing knee-jerk reactions from investors as they panic before obtaining all the facts and make rational decisions,” said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, following Insurify’s rollout of its ChatGPT-based comparison tool. 2
Legal & General’s full-year results, set for release on March 11, mark the next big milestone. Investors are eyeing details on cash generation, capital returns, and the latest on pension risk transfer (PRT) deals—where insurers assume pension obligations. The group plans to drop its preliminary results at 0700 GMT. 3
L&G doesn’t operate like price-comparison sites or brokers—the names usually at the center of disruption talk. Its operations span retirement, workplace pensions, and asset management. Still, when a fresh risk theme rattles the sector, L&G shares often move in step with the broader UK life insurance group.
The company issued a brief update Monday, announcing Lucy Blanchard-Burton will take over as head of its Mastertrust and Independent Governance Committee. The master trust is now managing £41.9 billion for 2.2 million members. “Lucy’s appointment further strengthens our position as the UK’s largest DC pension provider,” Lesley-Ann Morgan, global head of defined contribution, said in the statement. 4
Legal & General earlier this month wrapped up the sale of its U.S. insurance business to Meiji Yasuda of Japan, unlocking £1.2 billion in Solvency II capital — the industry’s go-to metric for capital adequacy. “It strengthens our balance sheet, releases capital and enables us to accelerate growth in US Pension Risk Transfer,” chief executive António Simões said. The group now plans to return an extra £1 billion to shareholders, lifting its targeted 2026 share buyback to £1.2 billion. 5
That focus on capital returns keeps L&G in play, even on days when sector sentiment drives the story. Investors prize the shares for their yield, and in quieter growth periods, buybacks carry extra weight.
Next up, traders are eyeing whether the AI buzz sticks with brokers and comparison sites, or if it starts bleeding into how insurers think about their own costs and pricing. If shares of U.S. brokers stabilize, that could cool the frenzy around the theme.
Still, if investors come around to the idea that AI won’t shake up customer buying habits or regulator attitudes anytime soon, those fears might recede. If not, the risk is a sector-wide rerating—life insurers could get caught up too, even if their actual AI exposure is tough to pinpoint.
Legal & General’s calendar circles March 11 as the key date. Eyes are on solvency figures, cash generation, and buyback speed. Management’s comments on the PRT pipeline headed into the new financial year will also be scrutinized.
