Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) (NYSE:MFC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$36.30.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MFC shares. National Bankshares lifted their price objective on Manulife Financial from C$29.00 to C$33.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Cormark raised shares of Manulife Financial from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from C$33.00 to C$36.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Desjardins raised shares of Manulife Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from C$29.00 to C$36.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from C$34.00 to C$38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Evercore lifted their price objective on Manulife Financial from C$30.00 to C$36.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th.

Manulife Financial Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of TSE MFC opened at C$31.95 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of C$57.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.56 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$32.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$28.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.69, a quick ratio of 2.58 and a current ratio of 3.79. Manulife Financial has a 52-week low of C$23.69 and a 52-week high of C$34.05.

Manulife Financial (TSE:MFC) (NYSE:MFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported C$0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.84 by C$0.08. The business had revenue of C$14.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$10.24 billion. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 20.05%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Manulife Financial will post 3.6893764 EPS for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. This is a boost from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 61.30%.

Insider Activity

In other Manulife Financial news, Senior Officer Steve Finch sold 10,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$32.76, for a total value of C$337,231.44. In other news, Director Brooks Tingle sold 3,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$32.76, for a total transaction of C$108,664.92. Also, Senior Officer Steve Finch sold 10,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$32.76, for a total transaction of C$337,231.44. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.