Desjardins Expects Lower Earnings for Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Research analysts at Desjardins decreased their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Manulife Financial in a research note issued on Thursday, April 17th. Desjardins analyst D. Young now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $0.69 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.71. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.87 per share.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on MFC. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFC opened at $28.60 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $49.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.82, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.89. Manulife Financial has a 12 month low of $22.81 and a 12 month high of $33.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.43.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.08%.

Institutional Trading of Manulife Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MFC. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 52.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.3094 dividend. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.33%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.45%.

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.