111,044 Shares in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Bought by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 111,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,410,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 28,063,936 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $829,374,000 after purchasing an additional 3,329,892 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 24,057,503 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $640,411,000 after acquiring an additional 750,422 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 34.3% in the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 19,723,609 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $525,042,000 after buying an additional 5,036,716 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 0.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,783,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $393,592,000 after purchasing an additional 75,244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Manulife Financial by 8.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,273,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $247,473,000 after acquiring an additional 616,517 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.56% of the company's stock.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

Shares of MFC stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,430,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,355,940. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $31.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.09. Manulife Financial Co. has a one year low of $20.78 and a one year high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $10.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.73 billion. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $0.296 dividend. This is an increase from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.42%.

Manulife Financial Company 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.