Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$47.75.

Several research firms recently commented on GWO. Barclays lifted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$45.00 to C$46.00 in a research report on Monday. CIBC boosted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$51.00 to C$55.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$50.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$48.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$47.00 to C$51.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Great-West Lifeco Stock Performance

GWO stock traded down C$0.09 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching C$46.81. 166,132 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 975,532. The stock's 50-day moving average is C$48.13 and its 200 day moving average is C$45.03. The company has a current ratio of 37.46, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61. Great-West Lifeco has a 52-week low of C$38.44 and a 52-week high of C$50.99. The stock has a market cap of C$43.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. Great-West Lifeco's payout ratio is currently 55.78%.

Insider Activity at Great-West Lifeco

In other news, Senior Officer Colleen Nancy Bailey Moffitt sold 825 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$49.11, for a total value of C$40,515.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 66 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$3,241.26. The trade was a 92.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 26,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$49.50, for a total transaction of C$1,306,800.00. Insiders sold a total of 174,613 shares of company stock valued at $8,697,880 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 70.70% of the company's stock.

Great-West Lifeco Company Profile

Great-West Lifeco Inc engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.