161,195 Shares in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Bought by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 161,195 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,950,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MFC. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, CKW Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 52.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $45.50.

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Manulife Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MFC traded down $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,165,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,952,637. The firm has a market cap of $52.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.05 and a 200-day moving average of $30.29. Manulife Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $22.61 and a 12 month high of $33.07.

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

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.3094 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. This is an increase from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.45%.

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.