Cormark Expects Stronger Earnings for Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Research analysts at Cormark boosted their FY2026 EPS estimates for Manulife Financial in a research report issued on Thursday, February 20th. Cormark analyst L. Persaud now expects that the financial services provider will earn $3.18 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $3.08. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.88 per share.

Manulife Financial Stock Up 6.9 %

Shares of NYSE MFC opened at $31.83 on Friday. Manulife Financial has a 12-month low of $22.61 and a 12-month high of $33.07. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.71. The company has a market cap of $54.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.09.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 10.08%.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.3094 per share. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.89%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 2.3% in the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $426,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 33,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Manulife Financial by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 69,967 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,068,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Manulife Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 69,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,133,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.