Desjardins Brokers Increase Earnings Estimates for MFC

Key Points

• Desjardins has raised its earnings per share estimate for Manulife Financial for FY2026 to $3.14, slightly above the previous estimate of $3.13.
• Manulife reported a $0.69 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, missing analyst expectations by 2 cents, while its revenue was $11.30 billion.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.3199 per share, reflecting a 4.3% yield, to be paid on September 19th, following a prior dividend of $0.32.

Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC - Equities researchers at Desjardins boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Manulife Financial in a report released on Thursday, August 7th. Desjardins analyst D. Young now anticipates that the financial services provider will earn $3.14 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $3.13. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial's current full-year earnings is $2.87 per share.

MFC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Manulife Financial from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $46.00 price target on Manulife Financial in a report on Monday, May 19th.

Manulife Financial Trading Up 0.4%

Manulife Financial stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $30.60. 1,167,710 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,303,852. The firm has a market cap of $51.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $31.09 and a 200 day moving average of $30.54. Manulife Financial has a 12 month low of $25.72 and a 12 month high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $11.30 billion for the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 10.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be paid a $0.3199 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 20th. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 57.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Manulife Financial during the second quarter worth $632,238,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 814.3% in the second quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 6,399,999 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $204,544,000 after acquiring an additional 5,699,999 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 134.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 8,444,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $263,046,000 after acquiring an additional 4,840,963 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 6.6% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 37,093,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,155,639,000 after buying an additional 2,289,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 19.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,008,595 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $453,798,000 after buying an additional 2,276,251 shares during the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.