8,860 Shares in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Acquired by Bleakley Financial Group LLC

Bleakley Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Free Report) TSE: SLF in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 8,860 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SLF. Long Run Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $326,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $99,000. Five Oceans Advisors boosted its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 8.1% in the 4th 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 during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $95,000. Institutional investors own 52.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on SLF. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sun Life Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:SLF traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $55.17. The stock had a trading volume of 858,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 605,951. The company's 50-day moving average price is $58.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.09. The company has a market capitalization of $34.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.03. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.41 and a fifty-two week high of $62.85.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 17.44%. Research analysts expect that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.5876 dividend. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is presently 60.16%.

Sun Life Financial Company 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.