Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Shares Bought by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,733 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Little House Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 33,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,037,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Manulife Financial by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 69,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,133,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 8,419 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 45.9% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Manulife Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of MFC stock opened at $30.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $53.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.40. Manulife Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $22.61 and a twelve month high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.07. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The business had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.3094 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.02%. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio 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.