FY2026 EPS Estimate for Manulife Financial Raised by Analyst

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC - Equities researchers at Cormark upped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Manulife Financial in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 8th. Cormark analyst L. Persaud now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $3.28 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $3.26. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial's current full-year earnings is $2.87 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on MFC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

NYSE MFC traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $32.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,685,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,167,202. Manulife Financial has a 1 year low of $23.30 and a 1 year high of $33.07. The stock has a market cap of $54.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $30.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.53.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.01). Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be paid a $0.3194 dividend. This is an increase from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 21st. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Manulife Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $330,000. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its position in Manulife Financial by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 88,631 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,719,000 after acquiring an additional 11,509 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Manulife Financial by 28.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,650,598 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $333,291,000 after acquiring an additional 2,377,338 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in Manulife Financial by 60.4% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 36,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 13,638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,809,774 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,578,000 after buying an additional 81,799 shares during the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Manulife Financial

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.