1832 Asset Management L.P. Acquires 1,660,626 Shares of Manulife Financial Corp $MFC

1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) TSE: MFC by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,425,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,660,626 shares during the period. Manulife Financial comprises approximately 0.7% of 1832 Asset Management L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. 1832 Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 1.43% of Manulife Financial worth $760,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Heritage Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Manulife Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $471,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 2.8% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 6,520,840 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $203,155,000 after purchasing an additional 176,948 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 8.5% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 707,993 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,058,000 after purchasing an additional 55,263 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 11.4% during the first quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 1,630,836 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $50,809,000 after purchasing an additional 166,592 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Manulife Financial by 6.5% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,225,406 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $69,321,000 after purchasing an additional 135,477 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MFC. Morgan Stanley set a $48.00 target price on Manulife Financial in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Manulife Financial from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.50.

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View Our Latest Research Report on Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of MFC stock opened at $30.0650 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.01. Manulife Financial Corp has a twelve month low of $25.92 and a twelve month high of $33.07. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $30.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.55.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) TSE: MFC last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $11.30 billion for the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 10.46%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.3199 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. This is an increase from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Manulife Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Manulife Financial Profile

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.

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