Seeking Alpha: A Few Flickers From Torchmark

Until September began, my March call that Torchmark (NYSE:TMK) still offered some upside was looking okay, as the stock was doing a little better than other insurance names like Prudential (NYSE:PRU), MetLife (NYSE:MET), and Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC). After the S&P revised its outlook lower, though, the shares have shed a few percentage points on worries that management may have to pull back a bit on buybacks.

I suspect that the S&P action was less relevant from a fundamental perspective and more likely a good excuse for managers to take some gains on an insurance stock that had risen close to 60% over the past two years. What's more, there are a few suggestions in recent earnings reports that growth may be a little harder to come by in the short-to-medium term. While I still like the fundamentals here, and the shares haven't exactly shot through my prior target, this may be a case where investors want to shop around a bit.

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A Few Flickers From Torchmark