Allianz Asset Management GmbH Has $57.17 Million Holdings in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,861,773 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 104,419 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.11% of Manulife Financial worth $57,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MFC. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 28,063,936 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $829,374,000 after acquiring an additional 3,329,892 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,273,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,473,000 after acquiring an additional 616,517 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,186,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $153,455,000 after acquiring an additional 158,216 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 4,896,049 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $150,333,000 after acquiring an additional 236,808 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,035,663 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $60,202,000 after acquiring an additional 36,838 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the company's stock.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MFC traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.36. The stock had a trading volume of 2,557,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,278,425. The company has a market capitalization of $52.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $30.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.79. Manulife Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $22.61 and a 52 week high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.08%. The firm had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.3094 dividend. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Manulife Financial's payout ratio is 59.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MFC. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Manulife Financial presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Profile

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.