Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Short Interest Update

Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, a decline of 63.1% from the September 15th total of 5,180,000 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 559,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays started coverage on shares of Sun Life Financial in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 6,244.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.26% of the company's stock.

Sun Life Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE SLF traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $57.24. 218,430 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 678,836. The business has a 50 day moving average of $54.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.59, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.00. Sun Life Financial has a 1 year low of $44.57 and a 1 year high of $58.51.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.07. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 17.47%. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.72 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial will post 4.86 EPS for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th were issued a $0.587 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 28th. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is currently 60.10%.

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.