Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Bought by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $484,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.9 %

SLF opened at $56.64 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $32.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.94. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.41 and a fifty-two week high of $62.85.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.5876 dividend. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SLF shares. StockNews.com cut Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Cormark upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.