Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) Share Price Crosses Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average on Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Sun Life shares fell below their 200-day moving average, trading as low as C$100.28 and last at C$101.10 versus the C$102.45 average, after TD Securities downgraded the stock from strong buy to hold.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but the overall consensus is Hold: five analysts rate the stock Buy and six Hold, with an average price target of C$116.50.
• Company insiders sold 179,448 shares worth about C$19.9 million in the last quarter. Sun Life also reported quarterly EPS of C$2.05 and pays an annualized dividend of C$3.84, a yield of 3.8%.

Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF - Get Free Report) NYSE: SLF shares passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday after TD Securities downgraded the stock from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$102.45 and traded as low as C$100.28. Sun Life Financial shares last traded at C$101.10, with a volume of 1,877,247 shares.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on SLF. TD lifted their price objective on Sun Life Financial from C$121.00 to C$124.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Scotia upped their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$110.00 to C$118.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Barclays raised their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$96.00 to C$98.00 in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$98.00 to C$119.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$102.00 to C$116.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sun Life Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of C$116.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sun Life Financial news, insider Jacques Jr. Goulet sold 36,805 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$111.24, for a total transaction of C$4,094,188.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,063 shares in the company, valued at C$118,248.12. This represents a 97.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Melissa Jane Kennedy sold 11,740 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$110.05, for a total transaction of C$1,291,987.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 43,238 shares in the company, valued at C$4,758,341.90. This represents a 21.35% decrease in their position. Insiders sold 179,448 shares of company stock worth $19,874,331 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sun Life Financial Trading Down 1.7%

The company has a market cap of C$56.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$111.22 and a 200 day moving average of C$102.45. The company has a current ratio of 27.38, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.34.

Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF - Get Free Report) NYSE: SLF last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported C$2.05 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$8.79 billion during the quarter. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 13.89% and a net margin of 8.81%. On average, analysts predict that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 6.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 29th were paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Sun Life Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.37%.

Sun Life Financial Company Profile

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2025, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.55 trillion.

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