Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Invests $95,000 in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $95,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Sun Life Financial by 2,747.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sun Life Financial by 124.9% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in Sun Life Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of Sun Life Financial stock opened at $55.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $31.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.60. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.41 and a 52-week high of $62.85.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.5876 dividend. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.25%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Sun Life Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cormark raised shares of Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial 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.