ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Sun Life Financial Inc. $SLF

Key Points

• ST Germain D J Co. Inc. significantly increased its stake in Sun Life Financial by 784.2% during the second quarter, owning 5,747 shares valued at approximately $382,000.
• Several institutional investors have also made substantial changes to their holdings in Sun Life Financial, including Farther Finance Advisors LLC, which boosted its stake by 295.7% in the same period.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with recent ratings including a downgrade to "hold" by National Bank Financial, contrasted with an upgrade to "strong-buy" from Argus.

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Free Report) TSE: SLF by 784.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,747 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,097 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.'s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Investment Management Corp VA ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 164.5% in the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 619 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 53.2% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 665 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 295.7% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,116 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $90,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SLF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. National Bank Financial downgraded Sun Life Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Barclays cut Sun Life Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Argus raised shares of Sun Life Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Sun Life Financial to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

Sun Life Financial Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE SLF opened at $58.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $33.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.89. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.44 and a 1-year high of $66.81. The stock's 50-day moving average is $59.41 and its 200 day moving average is $60.27.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29. The company had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.34 billion. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 7.59%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.11 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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