Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Acquires 170,960 Shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 37.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 621,660 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 170,960 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $19,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Little House Capital LLC grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 33,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,037,000 after buying an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 69,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,133,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in Manulife Financial by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 8,419 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the period. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in Manulife Financial by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. 52.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MFC traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $30.26. 1,078,617 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,233,948. Manulife Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $33.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $29.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.41. The firm has a market cap of $52.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.3094 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio is 58.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Manulife Financial Profile

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.