Aviso Financial Inc. Purchases 12,039 Shares of Manulife Financial Corp $MFC

Aviso Financial Inc. increased its position in Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 8.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 155,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,039 shares during the quarter. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $4,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Manulife Financial by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $213,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 155,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,842,000 after acquiring an additional 6,872 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 15,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Manulife Financial by 109.9% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 57,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,806,000 after acquiring an additional 30,358 shares during the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

Manulife Financial stock opened at $34.87 on Tuesday. Manulife Financial Corp has a fifty-two week low of $25.92 and a fifty-two week high of $35.57. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.58. The stock has a market cap of $58.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.10. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 10.46%.The company had revenue of $12.90 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Manulife Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $47.00 price target on Manulife Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.50.

Manulife Financial Company Profile

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.