Desjardins Boosts Earnings Estimates for Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Desjardins boosted their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Manulife Financial in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, August 7th. Desjardins analyst D. Young now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $3.14 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $3.13. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.87 per share.

MFC has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $46.00 price target on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

Shares of Manulife Financial stock opened at $30.11 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.01. Manulife Financial has a 1-year low of $24.77 and a 1-year high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $11.30 billion for the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 10.46%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 EPS.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.3199 per share. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Eastern Bank lifted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 156.1% during the 2nd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 178,700.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,787 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

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.