Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as C$50.28 and last traded at C$50.22, with a volume of 3330866 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$49.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. TD Securities upped their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$45.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$50.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$47.00 to C$51.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$47.63.

Great-West Lifeco Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of C$47.12 and a 200-day moving average of C$43.55. The company has a current ratio of 37.46, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61. The firm has a market cap of C$46.81 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. Great-West Lifeco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Great-West Lifeco

In other Great-West Lifeco news, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$44.72, for a total value of C$1,135,888.00. Also, Director Richard Henry Linton sold 35,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. Insiders sold a total of 235,251 shares of company stock valued at $11,463,390 in the last three months. Company insiders own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.