Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) Stock Passes Below 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Sun Life Financial's share price has fallen below its 200-day moving average, trading at C$80.64, raising concerns among investors about its future performance.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with target price adjustments ranging from a decrease to C$87.00 by National Bankshares, while TD Securities raised their target to C$86.00.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.88 per share, which offers an annualized yield of 4.4%.

Shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF - Get Free Report) NYSE: SLF crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$83.36 and traded as low as C$80.14. Sun Life Financial shares last traded at C$80.64, with a volume of 1,855,195 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SLF shares. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$88.00 to C$83.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Barclays cut shares of Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$88.00 to C$84.00 in a report on Monday, August 11th. National Bank Financial cut shares of Sun Life Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Desjardins cut their price target on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$95.00 to C$90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sun Life Financial presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of C$86.67.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is C$84.99 and its 200-day moving average price is C$83.31. The company has a current ratio of 92.19, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.00. The company has a market capitalization of C$46.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.94.

Sun Life Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 27th. Sun Life Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.87%.

Insider Activity at Sun Life Financial

In related news, Senior Officer Jacques Jr. Goulet sold 44,199 shares of Sun Life Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$88.17, for a total value of C$3,897,025.83. Also, Senior Officer Daniel Fishbein sold 37,662 shares of Sun Life Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$87.60, for a total transaction of C$3,299,191.20. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sun Life Financial Company Profile

Sun Life Financial is one of Canada's Big Three life insurance companies along with Great-West Lifeco and Manulife. Sun Life provides insurance, retirement, and wealth-management services to individual and corporate customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. It also owns MFS Investment Management, a Boston-based asset-management firm.