James D. Gallagher Sells 57,064 Shares of Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) Stock

Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) (NYSE:MFC) Senior Officer James D. Gallagher sold 57,064 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$44.80, for a total transaction of C$2,556,638.39.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

TSE:MFC opened at C$44.87 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$42.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$38.17. The company has a market cap of C$79.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 36.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.60. Manulife Financial Co. has a 52 week low of C$26.17 and a 52 week high of C$46.42.

Manulife Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MFC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from C$38.00 to C$39.00 in a report on Friday, August 9th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Manulife Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Cormark raised their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from C$47.00 to C$48.00 in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from C$42.00 to C$47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, TD Securities lifted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from C$45.00 to C$48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Manulife Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$43.45.

About Manulife Financial

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.