Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Sold by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lessened its stake in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Free Report) TSE: SLF by 19.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,867 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,948 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $1,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Sun Life Financial by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,841,712 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $164,876,000 after buying an additional 34,072 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,403,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,192,059 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $427,712,000 after acquiring an additional 703,391 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $878,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,596,439 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $94,743,000 after purchasing an additional 15,908 shares in the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

SLF traded up $1.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $58.32. 52,974 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 680,726. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.41 and a 1 year high of $62.85. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $55.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.87.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 16.86%. Equities analysts forecast that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.5876 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is 60.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SLF shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Cormark raised Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial raised Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Sun Life Financial Profile

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.