Cormark Expects Stronger Earnings for Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Equities researchers at Cormark increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Manulife Financial in a research report issued on Thursday, February 20th. Cormark analyst L. Persaud now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $3.18 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $3.08. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.88 per share.

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of MFC stock opened at $30.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.09. Manulife Financial has a 12 month low of $22.61 and a 12 month high of $33.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.75.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.07. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 10.08%. The company had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.3094 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Manulife Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MFC. FIL Ltd increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 39,610,614 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,216,880,000 after purchasing an additional 7,053,066 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,803,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,068,654,000 after purchasing an additional 228,863 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 28,063,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $829,374,000 after purchasing an additional 3,329,892 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 24,614,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $755,367,000 after purchasing an additional 230,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in Manulife Financial by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,812,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $699,948,000 after purchasing an additional 902,466 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

About Manulife Financial

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.