Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFCGet Free Report) (TSE:MFC)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.18 and traded as high as $40.69. Manulife Financial shares last traded at $40.6590, with a volume of 1,591,193 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MFC shares. TD Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Manulife Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $51.50.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $67.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average of $39.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.22.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFCGet Free Report) (TSE:MFC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.02). Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 16.58% and a net margin of 10.19%.The company had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Corp will post 3.2 EPS for the current year.

Manulife Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were issued a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Manulife Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Manulife Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Canerector Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. Canerector Inc. now owns 800,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 170,000 shares during the last quarter. Sfam LLC bought a new position in Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA bought a new position in Manulife Financial during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

Manulife Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Manulife Financial Corporation is a multinational insurance and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in the late 19th century as The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, Manulife provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual and institutional clients. Its core businesses include life and health insurance, retirement and pension solutions, wealth and asset management, and group benefits.

In wealth and asset management, Manulife operates through Manulife Investment Management and offers mutual funds, segregated funds, institutional asset management, and retirement plan solutions.

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