American Century Companies Inc. Has $15.19 Million Stock Position in Sun Life Financial Inc. $SLF

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 21.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 252,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,045 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $15,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SLF. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Sun Life Financial by 184.1% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the period. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 48.8% during the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management grew its position in Sun Life Financial by 121.8% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sun Life Financial Stock Up 0.1%

Sun Life Financial stock opened at $63.57 on Wednesday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.44 and a 52 week high of $69.67. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $64.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.46. The stock has a market cap of $35.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 0.87.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.06. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 8.48%.The company had revenue of $973.53 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $973.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.68 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on SLF. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.50.

Sun Life Financial Profile

Sun Life Financial Inc, founded in 1865 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, is an international financial services organization that provides a range of insurance, wealth management and asset management solutions. The company serves individual and institutional clients, offering products designed to protect against life and health risks, help clients save for retirement, and manage investments on behalf of customers and third parties.

Core business activities include life and health insurance, group benefits for employers, retirement and pension products, and wealth management services such as mutual funds and segregated fund solutions.