Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Price Target Raised to C$48.00

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) had its price target hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from C$42.00 to C$48.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. TD Securities boosted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$45.00 to C$47.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays set a C$43.00 target price on Great-West Lifeco and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Great-West Lifeco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of C$45.00.

Great-West Lifeco Stock Performance

TSE:GWO opened at C$47.63 on Wednesday. Great-West Lifeco has a 1 year low of C$37.06 and a 1 year high of C$47.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61, a current ratio of 37.46 and a quick ratio of 22.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of C$44.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$42.35. The company has a market capitalization of C$44.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported C$1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of C$1.05 by C$0.06. The business had revenue of C$8.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$9.83 billion. Great-West Lifeco had a return on equity of 13.21% and a net margin of 11.32%. On average, analysts expect that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.4525194 earnings per share for the current year.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Great-West Lifeco’s payout ratio is 55.78%.

Insider Activity at Great-West Lifeco

In other Great-West Lifeco news, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$44.72, for a total value of C$1,135,888.00. In related news, Director Richard Henry Linton sold 35,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$46.27, for a total value of C$1,656,344.28. Also, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$44.72, for a total transaction of C$1,135,888.00. 70.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Great-West Lifeco

Great-West Lifeco Inc engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.