FY2025 EPS Forecast for Manulife Financial Raised by Analyst

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Equities research analysts at Cormark boosted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Manulife Financial in a research report issued on Thursday, February 20th. Cormark analyst L. Persaud now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.93 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $2.85. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.87 per share.

MFC has been the topic of several other research reports. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of Manulife Financial stock opened at $30.74 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.09. Manulife Financial has a 12 month low of $22.61 and a 12 month high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The company had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.3094 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Manulife Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 13,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $404,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in Manulife Financial by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 24,614,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $755,367,000 after purchasing an additional 230,105 shares during the period. Invst LLC raised its stake in Manulife Financial by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 22,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 2,423 shares during the last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $949,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the period. Finally, Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter worth $335,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

About Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.