Guardian Capital LP Has $27.16 Million Stock Holdings in Sun Life Financial Inc. $SLF

Guardian Capital LP boosted its position in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 44.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 452,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 138,548 shares during the quarter. Guardian Capital LP owned 0.08% of Sun Life Financial worth $27,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 184.1% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Tobam bought a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 48.8% during the 2nd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 121.8% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SLF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Sun Life Financial in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.50.

Sun Life Financial Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE SLF opened at $64.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $35.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.75 and a beta of 0.87. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.44 and a twelve month high of $69.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $64.25 and its 200 day moving average is $61.36.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $973.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $973.53 million. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 8.48%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.68 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sun Life Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Sun Life Financial’s payout ratio is 61.36%.

Sun Life Financial Profile

Sun Life Financial Inc, founded in 1865 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, is an international financial services organization that provides a range of insurance, wealth management and asset management solutions. The company serves individual and institutional clients, offering products designed to protect against life and health risks, help clients save for retirement, and manage investments on behalf of customers and third parties.

Core business activities include life and health insurance, group benefits for employers, retirement and pension products, and wealth management services such as mutual funds and segregated fund solutions.