Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$42.78.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWO. National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$40.00 to C$42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, CIBC lifted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$46.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th.

Great-West Lifeco Price Performance

GWO stock traded down C$0.63 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting C$41.52. The company had a trading volume of 749,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,474,602. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$42.92 and a 200 day moving average price of C$42.04. Great-West Lifeco has a 12-month low of C$36.54 and a 12-month high of C$45.18. The company has a market capitalization of C$38.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 22.18, a current ratio of 12.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.33.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported C$1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of C$0.99 by C$0.05. Great-West Lifeco had a return on equity of 10.28% and a net margin of 7.95%. The company had revenue of C$20.21 billion for the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.137561 earnings per share for the current year.

Great-West Lifeco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.35%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Great-West Lifeco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Great-West Lifeco's payout ratio is 75.77%.

Insider Transactions at Great-West Lifeco

In other news, Senior Officer Bradley John Fedorchuk sold 2,900 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$42.44, for a total transaction of C$123,062.08. In other Great-West Lifeco news, Senior Officer Linda Kerrigan sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.95, for a total transaction of C$214,750.00. Also, Senior Officer Bradley John Fedorchuk sold 2,900 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.44, for a total transaction of C$123,062.08. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,300 shares of company stock worth $566,402. 70.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Great-West Lifeco Company Profile

Great-West Lifeco Inc engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.