Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Great-West Lifeco has a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy", based on coverage from 12 brokerages. The average 1-year price target is C$77.18.
• Several analysts recently raised their price targets on the stock, including TD, CIBC, Scotia, and RBC, reflecting improved sentiment toward the company.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of C$0.67 per share, which annualizes to C$2.68 and implies a 2.9% yield.

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$77.18.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GWO shares. TD raised their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$73.00 to C$80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. National Bank Financial boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$65.00 to C$73.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$75.00 to C$81.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Scotia raised their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$78.00 to C$83.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$64.00 to C$77.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Insider Activity at Great-West Lifeco

In related news, Director Edmund Francis Murphy sold 40,000 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$86.20, for a total value of C$3,448,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,784 shares in the company, valued at C$757,180.80. The trade was a 81.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, Director Mei Dong sold 39,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$76.33, for a total transaction of C$3,007,402.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$207,693.93. The trade was a 93.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Insiders sold 119,200 shares of company stock worth $9,821,888 over the last three months. 70.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Great-West Lifeco Stock Performance

GWO stock opened at C$91.94 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of C$82.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.67. Great-West Lifeco has a 12 month low of C$51.40 and a 12 month high of C$92.97. The firm's 50-day moving average is C$82.98 and its 200 day moving average is C$71.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.59, a current ratio of 6.57 and a quick ratio of 22.18.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported C$1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$8.37 billion during the quarter. Great-West Lifeco had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.17%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.4525194 EPS for the current year.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Great-West Lifeco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.76%.

About Great-West Lifeco

Great-West Lifeco is one of the three big Canadian life insurance firms. With just under half of the firm's profit and revenue in Canada, Great-West also operates in the U.S. and Europe. In Canada, Great-West provides both individual and group insurance. In the United States, Great-West operates Putnam Investments and defined-contribution recordkeeping firm Empower Retirement. In 2020, Great-West announced it would acquire Personal Capital and MassMutual's recordkeeping business. In Europe, Great-West offers life insurance, annuities, and reinsurance primarily in the U.K., Ireland, and Germany.

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