MFC Q1 EPS Estimate Decreased by National Bank Financial

Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) – Investment analysts at National Bank Financial cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Manulife Financial in a research note issued on Thursday, May 1st. National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine now forecasts that the financial services provider will earn $0.71 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.73. The consensus estimate for Manulife Financial’s current full-year earnings is $2.87 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Manulife Financial’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.79 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.00 EPS.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $9.31 billion during the quarter. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 15.98%.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on MFC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $45.50.

Manulife Financial Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE:MFC opened at $31.56 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.74 and its 200 day moving average is $30.43. Manulife Financial has a 12 month low of $23.30 and a 12 month high of $33.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the first quarter worth $201,000. Napatree Capital LLC lifted its position in Manulife Financial by 4.7% during the first quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 10,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 57,905 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,804,000 after buying an additional 2,542 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 434.2% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 3,472 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 2,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,380,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $198,767,000 after acquiring an additional 239,921 shares during the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.3094 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.45%.

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.