Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Stock Breaks Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Great-West Lifeco shares broke above their 200-day moving average, reaching C$92.96 before closing at C$91.24; the stock was down 0.5% in recent trading.
• Analysts have raised price targets, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target of C$93.27. Scotiabank was the most bullish, setting a C$100 target and “sector outperform” rating.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of C$1.42 on C$8.35 billion in revenue and maintains a quarterly dividend of C$0.67, equivalent to an annualized 2.9% yield.

Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$84.72 and traded as high as C$92.96. Great-West Lifeco shares last traded at C$91.24, with a volume of 592,990 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$77.00 to C$91.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$86.00 to C$87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. National Bank Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$93.00 to C$95.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$95.00 to C$100.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Desjardins upped their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$93.00 to C$95.00 in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Great-West Lifeco has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of C$93.27.

Great-West Lifeco Trading Down 0.5%

The company has a market capitalization of C$81.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$90.87 and a 200-day moving average price of C$84.72. The company has a quick ratio of 22.18, a current ratio of 6.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.63.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported C$1.42 EPS for the quarter. Great-West Lifeco had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.49%. The business had revenue of C$8.35 billion for the quarter. Research analysts predict that Great-West Lifeco Inc. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 29th were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Great-West Lifeco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.89%.

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.

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.