101,546 Shares in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Acquired by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 101,546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,026,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Sun Life Financial by 2,747.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of SLF opened at $56.45 on Wednesday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.41 and a 12-month high of $62.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.04. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.87.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. Analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a $0.5876 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.16%. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.16%.

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.