Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the four brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SLF. Cormark upgraded Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

Sun Life Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

Sun Life Financial stock traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.61. 1,896,033 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 613,494. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.30. Sun Life Financial has a 12-month low of $46.41 and a 12-month high of $62.85. The firm has a market cap of $34.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.03.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.5876 per share. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is 67.19%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sun Life Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 106.0% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 8,778 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 4,516 shares during the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,898,866 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $112,602,000 after purchasing an additional 313,176 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Sun Life Financial by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,235,884 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $73,337,000 after buying an additional 110,780 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Sun Life Financial by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,147 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in Sun Life Financial by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,202,981 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $71,385,000 after buying an additional 77,400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.26% of the company's stock.

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.