Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Bought by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 26.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,378 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 166.9% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of SLF stock opened at $50.95 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $53.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.16. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.57 and a 52 week high of $55.46. The company has a market cap of $29.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.01.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $13.73 billion during the quarter. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 7.79%. Analysts expect that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.581 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 27th. This is an increase from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.56%. Sun Life Financial’s payout ratio is currently 59.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Sun Life Financial in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

Sun Life Financial Profile

Sun Life Financial Inc, a financial services company, provides savings, retirement, and pension products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Asset Management, Canada, U.S., Asia, and Corporate. It offers various insurance products, such as term and permanent life; personal health, which includes prescription drugs, dental, and vision care; critical illness; long-term care; and disability, as well as reinsurance.