Manulife Financial Corp $MFC Stock Holdings Increased by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 7.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MFC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 437,523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,896,000 after acquiring an additional 16,873 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the 1st quarter worth $243,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 17,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aurora Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the 1st quarter worth $625,000. 52.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Manulife Financial Trading Down 1.2%

MFC opened at $32.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $54.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.98. Manulife Financial Corp has a 1 year low of $25.92 and a 1 year high of $33.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.12.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.71 by ($0.02). Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 10.46%.The business had revenue of $11.30 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 20th were given a $0.3199 dividend. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 20th. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFC has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $47.00 price objective on Manulife Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Manulife Financial from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $48.00.

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.