Shares of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) rose over 1 per cent on Thursday morning, trading at ₹809 on the NSE, as investors positioned ahead of the state-owned insurer’s fourth-quarter results for FY26, scheduled to be announced later in the day.

LIC’s Board of Directors is meeting on May 21, 2026, to consider and approve audited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2026. The board will also deliberate on recommending a final dividend, if any, for FY26.

The stock opened at ₹808, touched an intraday high of ₹812, and was trading up ₹8.45 or 1.06 per cent at the time of writing. However, the broader trend remains weak. The stock is down 5.25 per cent over the past year and sits roughly 17 per cent below its 52-week high of ₹980, hit in June 2025. It has recovered from its 52-week low of ₹721.50, hit in April 2026.

Analysts expect LIC to deliver approximately 20.5 per cent VNB (Value of New Business) margin for Q4FY26, led by continued focus on non-par products. Emkay Global has pencilled in around 13 per cent growth in Annual Premium Equivalent (APE) for the quarter, driven by healthy growth in the Group segment and a favourable base, projecting 15 per cent APE growth for the full FY26.

Despite the pre-result uptick, Virat Jagad, Senior Technical Research Analyst at Bonanza, advises restraint. He notes that LIC remains in a downtrend, forming lower lows and lower highs, and continues to trade below all major EMAs. RSI is hovering near the 50 mark, and Jagad says only a sustained move above that level would signal improving momentum. He recommends ₹775 as a strict stop loss for existing holders and warns that the results could trigger sharp volatility.

In compliance with SEBI insider trading regulations, the trading window for insiders was closed from April 1, 2026, and will reopen on May 23, 2026, 48 hours after the board meeting.

The stock’s total market capitalisation stands at ₹5,11,692 crore. The sell-side order book showed 61.37 per cent on the sell side versus 38.63 per cent on the buy side as of midday Thursday, reflecting cautious sentiment ahead of the numbers.

Published on May 21, 2026