Fiera Capital Corp Has $636,000 Stock Holdings in Manulife Financial Corp $MFC

Fiera Capital Corp boosted its stake in Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 23.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,772 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $636,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 156.1% during the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the second quarter valued at about $55,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the second quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Manulife Financial during the second quarter worth about $61,000. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Manulife Financial Stock Down 0.1%

MFC stock opened at $34.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $57.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.35, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.45. Manulife Financial Corp has a 12-month low of $25.92 and a 12-month high of $35.57.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.10. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 15.77%. The company had revenue of $12.90 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. Research analysts expect that Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a boost from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on Manulife Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.50.

Manulife Financial Company 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.