Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Sun Life Financial has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from five analysts, with one sell, two hold, and two buy recommendations.
• The average 12-month price target among brokerages is $88.00, following recent adjustments in ratings and price objectives from various institutions.
• In the most recent earnings report, Sun Life Financial reported a $1.29 EPS, meeting analysts' expectations, but fell short on revenue, reporting $6.65 billion against a forecast of $7.34 billion.

Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $88.00.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SLF shares. Barclays downgraded Sun Life Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Sun Life Financial from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Scotiabank upgraded Sun Life Financial to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, National Bank Financial downgraded Sun Life Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $244,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 68.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 493,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,286,000 after buying an additional 200,567 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 1,691 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 155.6% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 26,154 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,552,000 after buying an additional 15,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 29.6% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 4,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of Sun Life Financial stock opened at $57.73 on Monday. Sun Life Financial has a 1 year low of $52.44 and a 1 year high of $66.81. The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.91. The company has a market capitalization of $32.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.89.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.29. The firm had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.34 billion. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 7.59% and a return on equity of 17.21%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.11 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial Inc, a financial services company, provides savings, retirement, and pension products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Asset Management, Canada, U.S., Asia, and Corporate. It offers various insurance products, such as term and permanent life; personal health, which includes prescription drugs, dental, and vision care; critical illness; long-term care; and disability, as well as reinsurance.

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