Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its position in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 994,150 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 43,948 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Manulife Financial worth $30,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Little House Capital LLC grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 33,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 69,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,133,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 45.9% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in Manulife Financial by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 40,894 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,256,000 after buying an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MFC. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE MFC traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $31.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,793,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,209,594. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.05. Manulife Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $22.61 and a twelve month high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 15.98%. The company had revenue of $9.31 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.3094 per share. This is an increase from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.45%.

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.