Research Analysts Set Expectations for MFC FY2025 Earnings

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Stock analysts at Cormark boosted their FY2025 EPS estimates for Manulife Financial in a research note issued on Thursday, November 7th. Cormark analyst L. Persaud now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.92 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $2.87. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.75 per share.

Several other research analysts have also commented on MFC. Dbs Bank raised shares of Manulife Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.50.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

MFC stock opened at $32.40 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $29.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.11. The firm has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 15.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.08. Manulife Financial has a fifty-two week low of $18.56 and a fifty-two week high of $32.94.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.30. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $10.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.73 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of Manulife Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MFC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 7,887.4% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 34,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $858,000 after purchasing an additional 33,916 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 4.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 14,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the first quarter valued at about $142,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 26.4% in the first quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,844 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $371,000 after acquiring an additional 3,102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the first quarter valued at about $253,000. 52.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.296 per share. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio is currently 56.04%.

Manulife Financial Company Profile

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.