Manulife Financial Corp $MFC Stock Position Lowered by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd cut its Manulife Financial stake by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 186,342 shares and leaving it with 3.01 million shares worth about $109.3 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on MFC remains mostly positive, with a consensus Buy rating and an average target price of $51.50 from analysts.
• Manulife recently reported Q1 earnings that missed EPS expectations ($0.77 vs. $0.79), but it also reaffirmed its dividend, including a quarterly payout of $0.485 per share and a 5.2% yield.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lowered its position in shares of Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,010,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 186,342 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.18% of Manulife Financial worth $109,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MFC. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 15,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 2,224 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC grew its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC now owns 464,665 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,897,000 after purchasing an additional 11,329 shares during the last quarter. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 56,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 7,374 shares in the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MFC shares. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Manulife Financial from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Securities reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $51.50.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

Manulife Financial stock opened at $37.54 on Friday. Manulife Financial Corp has a fifty-two week low of $29.70 and a fifty-two week high of $40.40. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $36.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.01. The company has a market cap of $62.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.87.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.02). Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 16.70%. The firm had revenue of $8.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Manulife Financial Corp will post 3.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.96%.

Key Manulife Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Manulife Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Manulife reported first-quarter 2026 core earnings of C$1.8 billion and core EPS of C$1.06, both up year over year, while new business CSM also grew strongly. Manulife Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders backed the board slate, auditor, and management pay plan at the 2026 annual meeting, signaling broad governance support. Manulife Shareholders Back Board Slate, Auditor and Pay Plan at 2026 AGM
• Neutral Sentiment: Manulife reiterated its dividend, including a quarterly common-share payout of C$0.485, which supports its income appeal but was already expected. Manulife declares common share dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared preferred-share dividends and released its 2025 sustainability report, both routine announcements with limited immediate stock impact. Manulife declares preferred share dividend Manulife Releases 2025 Sustainability Report and Public Accountability Statement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite year-over-year growth, the quarter came in below expectations on core EPS, and analysts noted weaker insurance experience in Canada and lower investment spreads in the U.S., pressuring sentiment. Manulife Financial Q1 Earnings Miss Expectations, APE Sales Rise Y/Y

Manulife Financial Profile

Manulife Financial Corporation is a multinational insurance and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in the late 19th century as The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, Manulife provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual and institutional clients. Its core businesses include life and health insurance, retirement and pension solutions, wealth and asset management, and group benefits.

In wealth and asset management, Manulife operates through Manulife Investment Management and offers mutual funds, segregated funds, institutional asset management, and retirement plan solutions.

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