American Century Companies Inc. Has $4.69 Million Holdings in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 8.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,745 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $4,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SLF. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 166.9% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

SLF opened at $54.36 on Thursday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $44.57 and a twelve month high of $55.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $53.22 and a 200-day moving average of $50.85. The stock has a market cap of $31.78 billion, a PE ratio of 14.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.01.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.06. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 17.30%. The business had revenue of $13.73 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.581 per share. This is a positive change from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 27th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

About Sun Life Financial

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.