Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the seven analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$43.60.

GWO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. National Bankshares lifted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$43.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. TD Securities lowered their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$45.00 to C$44.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$45.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday.

Great-West Lifeco Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Great-West Lifeco stock opened at C$42.23 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is C$41.96 and its 200-day moving average price is C$42.20. The company has a quick ratio of 22.18, a current ratio of 12.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.33. Great-West Lifeco has a 52-week low of C$37.06 and a 52-week high of C$45.18. The company has a market cap of C$39.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.41, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.86.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported C$1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of C$0.99 by C$0.05. Great-West Lifeco had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 10.28%. The firm had revenue of C$20.21 billion for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.137561 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Great-West Lifeco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Great-West Lifeco

In other Great-West Lifeco news, Senior Officer Bradley John Fedorchuk sold 2,900 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.44, for a total transaction of C$123,062.08. In other Great-West Lifeco news, Senior Officer Bradley John Fedorchuk sold 2,900 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.44, for a total transaction of C$123,062.08. Also, Senior Officer Dervla Mary Tomlin sold 5,400 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.33, for a total transaction of C$228,590.10. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,300 shares of company stock worth $566,402. Company insiders own 70.57% of the company’s stock.

Great-West Lifeco Company Profile

Great-West Lifeco Inc engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.