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

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: "Hold" — Eleven brokerages cover Sun Life with a consensus rating of Hold (1 sell, 5 hold, 4 buy, 1 strong buy) and an average 12‑month price target of $86.50.
• Recent results & valuation: Shares opened at $70.33 (52‑week range $56.08–$70.65) with a market cap of $38.96B and a P/E of 15.98; the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.41 vs. $1.35 est., and analysts forecast FY EPS of 5.7.
• Dividend and institutional interest: Sun Life pays a quarterly $0.92 dividend (annualized $3.68) for a yield of 5.2% and a payout ratio of 61.36%, while institutional ownership is 52.26% with notable buys by Vanguard, Norges Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia and Morgan Stanley.

Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the eleven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research report on Friday, February 13th.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SLF opened at $70.33 on Tuesday. Sun Life Financial has a 52-week low of $56.08 and a 52-week high of $70.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $64.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.58.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.06. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 8.48%.The company had revenue of $973.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $973.53 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.68 EPS. Analysts forecast that Sun Life Financial will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is 61.36%.

Institutional Trading of Sun Life Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,884,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,615,788,000 after acquiring an additional 534,772 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $398,037,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in Sun Life Financial by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 5,991,249 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $373,984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,583 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Sun Life Financial by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,529,609 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $353,181,000 after purchasing an additional 347,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 86.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,952,646 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $246,645,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834,772 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.26% of the company's stock.

Sun Life Financial Company Profile

Sun Life Financial Inc, founded in 1865 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, is an international financial services organization that provides a range of insurance, wealth management and asset management solutions. The company serves individual and institutional clients, offering products designed to protect against life and health risks, help clients save for retirement, and manage investments on behalf of customers and third parties.

Core business activities include life and health insurance, group benefits for employers, retirement and pension products, and wealth management services such as mutual funds and segregated fund solutions.

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