Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) Upgraded by National Bank Financial to “Outperform” Rating

National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a report published on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Sun Life Financial’s FY2026 earnings at $5.77 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

SLF stock opened at $58.90 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.85. Sun Life Financial has a 52 week low of $46.41 and a 52 week high of $62.85. The company has a market capitalization of $33.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.03.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were issued a $0.621 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. This is a positive change from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 137,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,761,000 after purchasing an additional 14,314 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 32.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,775,042 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $86,958,000 after purchasing an additional 431,418 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co grew its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 38.5% during the 2nd quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 5,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 1,610 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 7,726 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 682 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 21,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,036,000 after buying an additional 2,853 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

About Sun Life Financial

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.