Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $623,000 Investment in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Free Report) TSE: SLF during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $623,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SLF. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sun Life Financial Trading Up 3.5 %

SLF stock traded up $2.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $62.01. The stock had a trading volume of 938,072 shares, compared to its average volume of 666,411. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.41 and a 52-week high of $63.34. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $56.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.03. The company has a market cap of $35.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.05. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. The business had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.6332 per share. This is a boost from Sun Life Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $2.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.08%. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is presently 60.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SLF. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com lowered Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Cormark raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sun Life Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.