Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) Shares Bought by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 15,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $870,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Sun Life Financial by 2,747.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in Sun Life Financial by 124.9% in the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Sun Life Financial during the third quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SLF shares. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Cormark upgraded Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of SLF opened at $54.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a one year low of $46.41 and a one year high of $62.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $57.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.56.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 16.86%. Analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.5876 per share. This represents a $2.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s payout ratio is 60.16%.

Sun Life Financial Company Profile

Sun Life Financial Inc, a financial services company, provides savings, retirement, and pension products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Asset Management, Canada, U.S., Asia, and Corporate. It offers various insurance products, such as term and permanent life; personal health, which includes prescription drugs, dental, and vision care; critical illness; long-term care; and disability, as well as reinsurance.