Motco Has $5.17 Million Position in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

Motco cut its holdings in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,255 shares during the quarter. Motco’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $5,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SLF. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 7.6% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 9,256,384 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $537,288,000 after buying an additional 654,404 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,192,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $427,712,000 after acquiring an additional 703,391 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in Sun Life Financial by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,837,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $338,621,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284,556 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,189,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $301,047,000 after purchasing an additional 257,178 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,841,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $164,876,000 after purchasing an additional 34,072 shares in the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SLF opened at $54.73 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $57.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.56. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a one year low of $46.41 and a one year high of $62.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. On average, analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.5876 per share. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. National Bank Financial upgraded Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com cut Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Cormark raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sun Life Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.