Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average of $69.11

Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$69.11 and traded as high as C$72.76. Sun Life Financial shares last traded at C$72.59, with a volume of 788,919 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$70.00 to C$80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. National Bankshares lifted their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$71.00 to C$72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Evercore upped their price objective on Sun Life Financial from C$76.00 to C$78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$76.00 to C$77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$82.00 to C$83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sun Life Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$76.50.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$72.58 and a 200 day moving average of C$69.15. The company has a quick ratio of 84,866.00, a current ratio of 6.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 78.47. The firm has a market cap of C$42.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.96.

Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported C$1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$1.59 by C$0.09. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 10.26% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The company had revenue of C$18.68 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 6.9482759 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 28th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. This is an increase from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Senior Officer Daniel Fishbein sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$74.45, for a total value of C$1,191,120.00. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.