Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$44.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWO shares. National Bankshares increased their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$43.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$45.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$46.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Great-West Lifeco news, Senior Officer Dervla Mary Tomlin sold 5,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.33, for a total value of C$228,590.10. In other news, Senior Officer Bradley John Fedorchuk sold 2,900 shares of Great-West Lifeco stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$42.44, for a total transaction of C$123,062.08. Also, Senior Officer Dervla Mary Tomlin sold 5,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.33, for a total value of C$228,590.10. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,300 shares of company stock worth $566,402. Insiders own 70.58% of the company’s stock.

Great-West Lifeco Price Performance

Great-West Lifeco stock opened at C$42.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of C$39.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.19, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50-day moving average of C$41.98 and a 200-day moving average of C$42.34. The company has a current ratio of 37.37, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.96. Great-West Lifeco has a 1 year low of C$37.06 and a 1 year high of C$45.18.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported C$1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.99 by C$0.05. The firm had revenue of C$20.21 billion during the quarter. Great-West Lifeco had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 11.74%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.20199 EPS for the current year.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.19%. Great-West Lifeco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.25%.

About Great-West Lifeco

Great-West Lifeco Inc engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.