Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Great-West Lifeco's stock has surpassed its 200-day moving average, trading at C$54.34 with a market cap of C$50.62 billion.
• Analysts have adjusted their target prices, with the average target now at C$56.67 and ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Hold."
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61, reflecting a yield of 4.5%, and initiated a stock repurchase plan indicating management's belief in the stock's undervaluation.

Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$52.52 and traded as high as C$54.50. Great-West Lifeco shares last traded at C$54.34, with a volume of 6,899,697 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWO. Desjardins raised their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$52.00 to C$55.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$56.00 to C$57.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$55.00 to C$56.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$59.00 to C$61.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, National Bankshares lowered their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$53.00 to C$52.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Great-West Lifeco presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of C$56.67.

Great-West Lifeco Trading Down 0.9%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of C$52.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$52.55. The stock has a market capitalization of C$50.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.68.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Great-West Lifeco's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.40%.

Great-West Lifeco declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.