Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target on Great‑West Lifeco from C$70 to C$83, implying about a 12.8% upside, and the consensus from analysts is a Moderate Buy with an average target of C$71.30.
• The stock traded at C$73.61 (near its 12‑month high of C$73.87) with a market cap of C$66.72 billion and a P/E of 17.28, suggesting it is trading close to recent highs on a moderate valuation.
• An insider sale of 46,413 shares on March 31 raised roughly C$2.95 million, while corporate insiders collectively own about 70.70% of the company.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from C$70.00 to C$83.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. Jefferies Financial Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 12.76% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$60.00 to C$64.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays raised their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$59.00 to C$70.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Desjardins raised their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$68.00 to C$71.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$68.00 to C$66.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$68.00 to C$70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of C$71.30.

Great-West Lifeco Stock Performance

Shares of GWO traded up C$1.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching C$73.61. 318,717 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,669,306. The firm has a market capitalization of C$66.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.93, a current ratio of 5.80 and a quick ratio of 22.18. Great-West Lifeco has a twelve month low of C$49.54 and a twelve month high of C$73.87. The business's fifty day simple moving average is C$66.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$64.44.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported C$1.36 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$8.34 billion for the quarter. Great-West Lifeco had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 10.96%. Analysts predict that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.4525194 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider L.P. Great-West Lifeco U.S. Holdings sold 46,413 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$63.46, for a total transaction of C$2,945,368.98. 70.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Great-West Lifeco Company Profile

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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