DGS Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC)

DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,295 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $1,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Manulife Financial by 13.5% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 28,063,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $829,374,000 after purchasing an additional 3,329,892 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Manulife Financial by 0.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,783,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $393,592,000 after acquiring an additional 75,244 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Manulife Financial by 8.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,273,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $247,473,000 after purchasing an additional 616,517 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 3.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,186,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $153,455,000 after purchasing an additional 158,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,035,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,202,000 after purchasing an additional 36,838 shares in the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Manulife Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:MFC opened at $30.53 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.20. The company has a market cap of $52.77 billion, a PE ratio of 14.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.09. Manulife Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $21.54 and a twelve month high of $33.07.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $10.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.73 billion. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a $0.296 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This is a boost from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.88%. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio is 59.42%.

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.