Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,100,000 shares, a growth of 395.9% from the January 31st total of 2,440,000 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 765,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 15.8 days.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have weighed in on SLF shares. National Bank Financial upgraded Sun Life Financial from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Cormark raised Sun Life Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Sun Life Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
View Our Latest Research Report on SLF
Sun Life Financial Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE SLF traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $55.89. 869,481 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 820,455. The company has a market cap of $32.02 billion, a PE ratio of 14.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. Sun Life Financial has a one year low of $46.41 and a one year high of $62.85. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $57.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.74.
Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF - Get Free Report) TSE: SLF last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sun Life Financial will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend
The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.21%. Sun Life Financial's payout ratio is 60.16%.
Institutional Trading of Sun Life Financial
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLF. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 2,747.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 541 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 124.9% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Sun Life Financial
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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