Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $102.04 Million Stake in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Free Report) TSE: SLF by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,719,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 89,286 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.27% of Sun Life Financial worth $102,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Sun Life Financial by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,233,496 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,438,888,000 after buying an additional 197,887 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,192,059 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $427,712,000 after acquiring an additional 703,391 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $382,176,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,467,275 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $210,080,000 after purchasing an additional 812,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 2,974,065 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $176,273,000 after buying an additional 93,992 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Cormark raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial raised Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of SLF stock traded up $0.75 on Friday, hitting $59.87. 146,558 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 677,704. The stock has a market cap of $33.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.41 and a 12 month high of $62.85. The company has a 50 day moving average of $56.32 and a 200 day moving average of $57.88.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. Sell-side analysts predict that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.5876 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. Sun Life Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.16%.

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.