Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Sold by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Free Report) TSE: SLF by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 201,592 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 37,241 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $11,696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,241,910 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,268,543,000 after purchasing an additional 359,028 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 16,107,748 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $879,751,000 after buying an additional 442,197 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 14,703,533 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $721,042,000 after buying an additional 407,913 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 10,216,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $500,492,000 after buying an additional 499,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 8,601,980 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $421,167,000 after buying an additional 1,049,244 shares in the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SLF shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

NYSE SLF traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $59.23. The stock had a trading volume of 430,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 479,747. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.41 and a twelve month high of $59.81. The firm's 50 day moving average is $56.82 and its 200 day moving average is $52.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.01.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 17.44%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.621 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 27th. This is an increase from Sun Life Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is 52.34%.

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.