Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Bought by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 24,233,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 197,887 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $1,438,888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,643 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $513,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 28,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,693,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. raised its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 47,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,843,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Five Oceans Advisors increased its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 3,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of SLF opened at $57.12 on Friday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.41 and a 12 month high of $62.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $56.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.93. The company has a market cap of $35.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.04.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 16.86%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.5876 dividend. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SLF shares. Cormark raised Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, National Bank Financial raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial Profile

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.