ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Grows Holdings in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 65.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,797 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 34.3% during the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 19,723,609 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $525,042,000 after buying an additional 5,036,716 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Manulife Financial by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 28,063,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $829,374,000 after acquiring an additional 3,329,892 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new position in Manulife Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,806,000. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its position in Manulife Financial by 1,210.7% in the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,161,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,922,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP increased its stake in Manulife Financial by 169.6% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,404,481 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,554,000 after purchasing an additional 883,624 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

NYSE MFC opened at $29.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $51.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.40, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.97. Manulife Financial Co. has a one year low of $20.78 and a one year high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $10.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.73 billion. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a $0.296 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.00%.

Manulife Financial 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.