National Bankshares Raises Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) Price Target to C$73.00

Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) had its price target hoisted by National Bankshares from C$72.00 to C$73.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$70.00 to C$80.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of 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. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$76.00 to C$78.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$76.00 to C$77.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, CIBC raised their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$75.00 to C$77.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$76.91.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

Sun Life Financial stock opened at C$70.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 6.81, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 78.47. Sun Life Financial has a 1-year low of C$61.84 and a 1-year high of C$74.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$72.60 and a 200-day moving average of C$69.64. The firm has a market cap of C$41.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.96.

Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF) (NYSE:SLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported C$1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of C$18.68 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Sun Life Financial will post 6.9036382 EPS for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.41%. This is an increase from Sun Life Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.32%.

Insider Activity at Sun Life Financial

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

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.