Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemShares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF – Get Free Report) (TSE:SLF) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 5,711,651 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 772% from the previous session’s volume of 655,261 shares.The stock last traded at $73.10 and had previously closed at $73.08.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently commented on SLF. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, National Bank Financial raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sun Life Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.50.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SLF
Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.9%
The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 0.91.
Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF – Get Free Report) (TSE:SLF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $925.99 million. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.80% and a net margin of 7.85%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.
Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. This is a boost from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Sun Life Financial’s payout ratio is currently 72.94%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sun Life Financial
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Louisbourg Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 3.0% during the first quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 5,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 68.4% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 1.8% during the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 9,794 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 5,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. 52.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial Inc, founded in 1865 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, is an international financial services organization that provides a range of insurance, wealth management and asset management solutions. The company serves individual and institutional clients, offering products designed to protect against life and health risks, help clients save for retirement, and manage investments on behalf of customers and third parties.
Core business activities include life and health insurance, group benefits for employers, retirement and pension products, and wealth management services such as mutual funds and segregated fund solutions.