Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Short Interest Up 35.4% in February

Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 16,380,000 shares, an increase of 35.4% from the February 13th total of 12,100,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 738,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 22.2 days. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on SLF shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cormark upgraded Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

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Sun Life Financial Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE SLF traded up $0.01 on Thursday, reaching $56.72. The stock had a trading volume of 161,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 589,593. Sun Life Financial has a 12-month low of $46.41 and a 12-month high of $62.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $56.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.04.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sun Life Financial will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,575 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 2,099 shares in the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $1,648,000. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 106.0% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 8,778 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $521,000 after buying an additional 4,516 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,898,866 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $112,602,000 after acquiring an additional 313,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 9.8% during the 4th 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 valued at $73,337,000 after buying an additional 110,780 shares during the period. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.