Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Stock Price Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$90.78 and traded as high as C$91.40. Great-West Lifeco shares last traded at C$90.95, with a volume of 372,464 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on GWO shares. Evercore upgraded shares of Great-West Lifeco to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$95.00 to C$97.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$84.00 to C$107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. TD increased their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$98.00 to C$106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Desjardins increased their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$93.00 to C$95.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Great-West Lifeco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$93.18.

Great-West Lifeco Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.63, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a current ratio of 6.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of C$90.78 and a 200-day moving average price of C$79.00. The company has a market capitalization of C$81.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.62.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported C$1.42 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$8.35 billion during the quarter. Great-West Lifeco had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.49%. Research analysts predict that Great-West Lifeco Inc. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 29th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Great-West Lifeco’s payout ratio is 52.89%.

Great-West Lifeco Company Profile

Great-West Lifeco is one of the three big Canadian life insurance firms. With just under half of the firm’s profit and revenue in Canada, Great-West also operates in the U.S. and Europe. In Canada, Great-West provides both individual and group insurance. In the United States, Great-West operates Putnam Investments and defined-contribution recordkeeping firm Empower Retirement. In 2020, Great-West announced it would acquire Personal Capital and MassMutual’s recordkeeping business. In Europe, Great-West offers life insurance, annuities, and reinsurance primarily in the U.K., Ireland, and Germany.