LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Insurer Legal & General said onWednesday its operating profit rose 10 percent in 2014 to 1.28billion pounds ($1.96 billion), with company pension dealsboosting sales of annuities.
Annuity assets rose 28 percent to 44 billion pounds, liftedby a doubling in sales of bulk annuities - taking on the risk ofdefined benefit, or final salary, pension schemes.
But the operating profit came in below the 1.31 billionpounds forecast in a poll of analysts supplied by the company.
The company said it would pay a total dividend of 11.25pence per share, against a forecast 11.23 pence.
($1 = 0.6519 pounds) (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn, editing by Sinead Cruise)
Legal & General (LGEN)