Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) Shares Acquired by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its stake in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 88,631 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,509 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $2,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MFC. West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Manulife Financial during the third quarter worth $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Manulife Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Manulife Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC grew its position in Manulife Financial by 103.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

Shares of MFC opened at $30.53 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.22. Manulife Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $21.54 and a 1 year high of $33.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.77 billion, a PE ratio of 14.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.09.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.30. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The company had revenue of $10.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $0.296 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. This is a boost from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Manulife Financial’s payout ratio is presently 59.42%.

Manulife Financial Profile

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.