Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Shares Acquired by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 107.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 120,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 62,710 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $3,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MFC. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Manulife Financial in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Manulife Financial in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 52.56% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price 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. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $45.50.

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Manulife Financial Stock Performance

MFC stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $29.23. The company had a trading volume of 2,730,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,982,260. The company has a market cap of $50.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, 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. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.12.

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

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.3094 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.23%. This is a boost from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. 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.