Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Short Interest Update

Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,440,000 shares, an increase of 47.0% from the January 15th total of 1,660,000 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 642,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days.

Institutional Trading of Sun Life Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SLF. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 period. Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 124.9% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SLF shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

NYSE SLF traded down $0.11 on Friday, reaching $55.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 858,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 554,788. Sun Life Financial has a twelve month low of $46.41 and a twelve month high of $62.85. The stock has a market cap of $34.65 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $58.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.18.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.44% and a net margin of 7.32%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.26%. Sun Life Financial’s payout ratio is presently 57.46%.

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.