Insider Selling: Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Insider Sells 46,413 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: L.P. Great-West Lifeco U.S. Holdings sold 46,413 shares at an average price of C$63.46 on March 31 for total proceeds of C$2,945,368.98.
• Dividend boost: Great‑West Lifeco raised its quarterly dividend to C$0.67 (C$2.68 annualized), implying a ~4.1% yield, with record/payment date reported as March 31 and an ex-dividend date of March 3.
• Analyst view and stock context: Analysts' ratings average to a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of C$67.22; the stock traded around C$65 (12‑month range C$49.54–C$68.56) and has a market cap near C$58.97B and a P/E of ~15.3.

Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) insider L.P. Great-West Lifeco U.S. Holdings sold 46,413 shares of the business'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.

Great-West Lifeco Trading Up 1.8%

Great-West Lifeco stock traded up C$1.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting C$65.00. The stock had a trading volume of 442,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,923,081. Great-West Lifeco Inc. has a 12 month low of C$49.54 and a 12 month high of C$68.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of C$63.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$62.36. The company has a current ratio of 5.80, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.93. The stock has a market capitalization of C$58.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Great-West Lifeco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Great-West Lifeco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Great-West Lifeco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GWO. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Great-West Lifeco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from C$67.00 to C$70.00 in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$60.00 to C$64.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$68.00 to C$70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$59.00 to C$70.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$68.00 to C$66.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Great-West Lifeco has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of C$67.22.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.