Research Analysts Set Expectations for MFC FY2025 Earnings

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Stock analysts at Cormark increased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Manulife Financial in a research note issued on Thursday, November 7th. Cormark analyst L. Persaud now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.92 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $2.87. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.75 per share.

MFC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded Manulife Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Manulife Financial has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.50.

Manulife Financial Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE MFC opened at $32.40 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.11. The firm has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.08. Manulife Financial has a 52 week low of $18.56 and a 52 week high of $32.94.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $10.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.73 billion. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 9.79%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $0.296 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This is a positive change from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Manulife Financial

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 1,210.7% during the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,161,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,922,000 after buying an additional 1,072,474 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 2,913.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 86,615 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,163,000 after buying an additional 83,741 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,783,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $393,592,000 after buying an additional 75,244 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,289,251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,806,508,000 after buying an additional 727,764 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,705,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

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.