Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) Stock Breaks Above 50 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Sun Life Financial shares rose above their 50-day moving average, reaching C$112.31 before closing at C$111.51. The stock’s 50-day average is C$111.09, compared with a 200-day average of C$101.25.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with six Buy ratings and five Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of C$115.92.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of C$2.02 on C$9.05 billion in revenue and maintains a 3.4% dividend yield. However, insiders sold approximately C$19.9 million of stock over the past 90 days, including substantial ownership reductions by two executives.

Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF - Get Free Report) NYSE: SLF crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$111.09 and traded as high as C$112.31. Sun Life Financial shares last traded at C$111.51, with a volume of 953,919 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price objective on Sun Life Financial from C$102.00 to C$116.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Sun Life Financial from C$131.00 to C$141.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$96.00 to C$98.00 in a report on Friday, August 7th. Desjardins upped their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$120.00 to C$122.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Evercore lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a C$111.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of C$115.92.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

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. The firm has a market capitalization of C$62.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.73. The business's 50 day simple moving average is C$111.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$101.25.

Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF - Get Free Report) NYSE: SLF last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported C$2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 13.89% and a net margin of 8.81%. The firm had revenue of C$9.05 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 6.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 29th were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 26th. Sun Life Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kevin Strain sold 101,580 shares of Sun Life Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$110.86, for a total value of C$11,261,158.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 42,000 shares in the company, valued at C$4,656,120. The trade was a 70.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Jacques Jr. Goulet sold 36,805 shares of Sun Life Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$111.24, for a total transaction of C$4,094,188.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$118,248.12. This represents a 97.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Insiders have sold a total of 179,448 shares of company stock valued at $19,874,331 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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