TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. Raises Holdings in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,964,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,765 shares during the period. Sun Life Financial accounts for approximately 0.9% of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $116,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,643 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $513,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 28,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,693,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 47,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,843,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Five Oceans Advisors grew its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 3,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

SLF stock opened at $56.40 on Monday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.41 and a 52-week high of $62.85. The stock has a market cap of $32.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $55.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.83.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.5876 per share. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Cormark upgraded Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sun Life Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial 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.