Versor Investments LP Takes $878,000 Position in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 14,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $878,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 227,745 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,516,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 635,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,723,000 after acquiring an additional 37,194 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 559,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,187,000 after acquiring an additional 33,931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of SLF opened at $54.73 on Friday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.41 and a 1 year high of $62.85. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.56. The firm has a market cap of $31.35 billion, a P/E 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 16.86%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Sun Life Financial 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.