Manulife Financial (MFC) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) will announce its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, May 8th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.66 per share for the quarter. Persons that are interested in registering for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.05. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.42%. The company had revenue of $10.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.57 billion. On average, analysts expect Manulife Financial to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFC stock opened at $24.01 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $43.12 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.08. Manulife Financial has a 1 year low of $17.07 and a 1 year high of $25.14. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.84.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.298 per share. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.96%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Desjardins raised shares of Manulife Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Manulife Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.33.

About Manulife Financial

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.