Signaturefd LLC Acquires 637 Shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC)

Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $1,516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MFC. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO boosted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 22.2% in the 2nd quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 2,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in Manulife Financial by 77.2% in the 2nd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 8.6% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 6,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 36.5% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 4.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 14,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MFC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Dbs Bank raised shares of Manulife Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. TD Securities raised their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Manulife Financial has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $35.67.

Manulife Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:MFC opened at $30.09 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $28.45 and a 200 day moving average of $26.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.08. Manulife Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $17.07 and a 52 week high of $30.86.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $9.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.95 billion. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.16%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.73 EPS for the current year.

Manulife Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.86%.

About Manulife Financial

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.