Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as C$86.51 and last traded at C$85.64, with a volume of 3811146 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$85.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank upped their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$85.00 to C$96.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays increased their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$79.00 to C$82.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. National Bankshares increased their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$72.00 to C$73.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$90.00 to C$94.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Cormark increased their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$82.00 to C$85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$84.18.

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average is C$79.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$72.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.77, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a current ratio of 65.29. The stock has a market cap of C$49.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.94.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. This is a boost from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.36%.

Insider Transactions at Sun Life Financial

In related news, Senior Officer Linda Dougherty sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$75.30, for a total transaction of C$150,590.00. Also, Director Kevin Strain sold 85,943 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$84.71, for a total transaction of C$7,280,231.53. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sun Life Financial Company Profile

Sun Life Financial Inc, a financial services company, provides savings, retirement, and pension products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Asset Management, Canada, U.S., Asia, and Corporate. It offers various insurance products, such as term and permanent life; personal health, which includes prescription drugs, dental, and vision care; critical illness; long-term care; and disability, as well as reinsurance.