Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$76.09.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SLF shares. National Bankshares lifted their price objective on Sun Life Financial from C$72.00 to C$73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Barclays set a C$76.00 price target on shares of Sun Life Financial and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. TD Securities lowered their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$73.00 to C$72.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$76.00 to C$78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Evercore decreased their price target on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$76.00 to C$75.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 11th.

Insider Transactions at Sun Life Financial

In other Sun Life Financial news, Senior Officer Linda Dougherty sold 2,000 shares of Sun Life Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$75.30, for a total value of C$150,590.00. In related news, Director Stephanie Coyles acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of C$70.00 per share, with a total value of C$35,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 500 shares in the company, valued at C$35,000. Also, Senior Officer Linda Dougherty sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$75.30, for a total transaction of C$150,590.00. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Sun Life Financial stock opened at C$78.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 65.29, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.77. The stock has a market cap of C$45.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.80, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$71.96 and a 200 day moving average price of C$70.62. Sun Life Financial has a 12-month low of C$61.84 and a 12-month high of C$78.85.

Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 12th. The financial services provider reported C$1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$1.58 by C$0.13. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 13.65% and a net margin of 9.90%. The company had revenue of C$8.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$9.18 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial will post 7.2905983 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th were paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 28th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.36%.

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.