Analysts Set Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) Price Target at C$44.55

Shares of Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) (NYSE:MFC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$44.55.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MFC shares. Cormark raised their price objective on shares of Manulife Financial from C$47.00 to C$48.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Securities raised their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from C$45.00 to C$48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. CIBC boosted their price objective on Manulife Financial from C$46.00 to C$47.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Manulife Financial from C$50.00 to C$51.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Manulife Financial from C$40.00 to C$47.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kenneth Michael Ross sold 4,243 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$45.80, for a total transaction of C$194,315.82. Also, Director Brooks Tingle sold 3,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$46.07, for a total value of C$178,102.75. Insiders sold a total of 77,771 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,584 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

Shares of MFC opened at C$42.33 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is C$43.92 and its 200 day moving average is C$41.13. Manulife Financial has a 12-month low of C$29.82 and a 12-month high of C$46.42. The company has a quick ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 36.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.60. The stock has a market cap of C$74.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.06.

Manulife Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio is presently 68.09%.

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.