Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Bought by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 112,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,759 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $6,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,233,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,438,888,000 after acquiring an additional 197,887 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,192,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $427,712,000 after purchasing an additional 703,391 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $382,176,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,837,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $338,621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Sun Life Financial by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,841,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $164,876,000 after buying an additional 34,072 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Sun Life Financial stock opened at $58.11 on Wednesday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.41 and a 12-month high of $62.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $56.64 and its 200-day moving average is $58.00.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. Analysts expect that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.5876 dividend. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 60.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SLF. Cormark raised Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Sun Life Financial

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.