Manulife Financial (TSE:MFC) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFCGet Free Report) (NYSE:MFC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as C$55.34 and last traded at C$54.57, with a volume of 1026724 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$54.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MFC. Desjardins set a C$58.00 price objective on shares of Manulife Financial and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. National Bank Financial set a C$57.00 price target on shares of Manulife Financial and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. TD Securities dropped their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from C$60.00 to C$59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Manulife Financial from C$54.00 to C$58.00 in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Manulife Financial from C$52.00 to C$55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of C$56.63.

View Our Latest Report on Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.80. The firm has a market cap of C$91.15 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is C$49.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$49.54.

Manulife Financial (TSE:MFCGet Free Report) (NYSE:MFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported C$1.12 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$22.03 billion during the quarter. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.91% and a return on equity of 11.34%. As a group, research analysts expect that Manulife Financial Co. will post 3.6104452 EPS for the current year.

Manulife Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were paid a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio is 57.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Manulife Financial news, Director Adam Thomas Wise sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$46.47, for a total value of C$162,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$116,035.59. This represents a 58.36% decrease in their position. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

About Manulife Financial

(Get Free Report)

Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better by providing financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com. One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports more than ten million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance and annuities.

Further Reading

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