Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Sets New 1-Year High at $46.00

Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as C$46.00 and last traded at C$45.92, with a volume of 152739 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$45.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GWO shares. TD Securities raised their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$46.00 to C$42.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$45.00 to C$47.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays set a C$43.00 price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Great-West Lifeco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$43.78.

Great-West Lifeco Trading Down 0.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of C$42.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 37.46, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$42.48 and a 200 day moving average price of C$41.82.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported C$1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of C$1.05 by C$0.06. Great-West Lifeco had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.21%. The company had revenue of C$8.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$9.83 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Great-West Lifeco Inc. will post 4.4885344 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Great-West Lifeco’s payout ratio is 55.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$44.72, for a total value of C$1,135,888.00. Corporate insiders own 70.65% of the company’s stock.

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.