Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Shares Bought by Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc.

Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 559,985 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,759 shares during the quarter. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $17,194,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $410,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,754 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 54,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,661,000 after purchasing an additional 5,369 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in Manulife Financial by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 22,845 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $702,000 after purchasing an additional 5,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Manulife Financial by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 13,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $410,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the period. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Manulife Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MFC stock traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $30.81. 1,475,845 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,550,324. Manulife Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $20.78 and a fifty-two week high of $33.07. The firm has a market cap of $53.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.05.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.30. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The company had revenue of $10.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $0.296 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.42%.

About Manulife Financial

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.