Manulife Financial, a leading Canadian financial services provider, opened at C$26.19 on Friday. Despite having a 52 week low of C$20.81 and a 52 week high of C$27.50, the company has nonetheless been given a “Hold” rating by seven research analysts with two assigning it as a buy and one as strongly buy. However, considering the P/E ratio of 7.12 and a P/E/G ratio of 12.96, investors may gather that there is yet another side to this story.
National Bankshares has lifted its target price from C$26 to $27 on March 9th giving Manulife Financial an even stronger “sector perform” rating in recent research reports. Joining the update are Cormark(rising from C$25 to $27), CSFB increasing theirs from ($27) to (28) and finally Barclays joining at (C$30-C31). This supports Manulife’s current market capitalization sitting at a handsome C$48.45bn together with its debt-to-equity ratio of 43.99; it seems this company is not for amateurs.
Furthermore, Director Donald Richard Lindsay purchased Manulife Financial stock worth up to C$1,332,005 on Thursday March 9th whilst Director Harrison sold almost the same amount in February at around $26 per share weighing in with ably purchased stocks were approximately 50k at $26.64 per share all in transactions made within days; insiders holding much less than 1% of MFC shares.
In its last posting on February 15th MFC reported earnings results showing operating EPS for all quarters totaling C$0.88 overall beating estimates by C$$0.07 showing promising returns; adding context was their return on equity rate hovering comfortably at around 12%. The consistency shown here will help convince potential investors that Manulife Financial’s fifty day moving average of C$25.66 and two-hundred day moving average of C$25.01 are sitting at the right levels for investment success.
To conclude, Manulife Financial has maintained an attentive hold on its investment opportunities by positioning itself as a leader in the market with several financial experts offering a ‘sector perform’ rating despite owning one opinion as strongly buy rated. Although insiders held less than 1% of the company’s stocks, it is still believed to have promising returns with consistency reflected in their operating earnings reports. As such, interested investors must watch earnestly for another MFC window opportunity to gain more stable returns on investment.
National Bank Financial Analyst Boosts Earnings Estimates for Manulife Financial, Signaling Strong Potential for Investors
Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC) (NYSE:MFC) is a financial services provider that has recently caught the attention of National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine, who has boosted his Q1 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for the company based on recent reports. In this report issued on Thursday, May 11th, Dechaine predicts that Manulife Financial will post earnings per share of $0.79 for the quarter – up from their prior estimate of $0.76.
What does this mean for investors? Well, it could be a sign that Manulife Financial is headed towards a profitable year where investors can expect to see gains in their portfolio. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $3.42 per share, which confirms the positive outlook being predicted by National Bank Financial.
On top of these promising predictions, Manulife Financial has also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend set to be paid out on Monday, June 19th. This dividend will be given to stockholders of record on Monday, June 19th and amounts to $0.365 per share – representing an annualized dividend yield of 5.57%.
This news couldn’t come at a better time for investors looking to diversify their portfolio with stable and reliable stocks in the finance sector. With a promising outlook for Q1 2023 earnings and a solid dividend payout ratio currently at 39.67%, Manulife Financial looks like an attractive investment option.
So if you’re looking to invest in finance industry stocks with strong potential growth and sustainability, you may want to consider adding Manulife Financial Co.(TSE:MFC) (NYSE:MFC) to your portfolio today! Start building your finances with investing in financial services and brace yourself for flexible dividends in a few months’ time!
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