Key Points
- Insider sale: Great-West Lifeco insider Jean-Francois Poulin sold 19,800 shares on May 21 at an average price of C$79.57, totaling about C$1.58 million. After the sale, he held just 160 shares, a 99.2% reduction in his position.
- Dividend increased: The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to C$0.67 per share from C$0.61, equal to an annualized dividend of C$2.68 and a yield of 3.4%. Its dividend payout ratio is 53.76%.
- Analyst sentiment remains positive: Several analysts lifted price targets, and the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of C$77.18. The shares were trading near their 52-week high, with strong recent earnings of C$1.37 EPS for the quarter.
Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) insider Jean-Francois Poulin sold 19,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$79.57, for a total value of C$1,575,486.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 160 shares in the company, valued at C$12,731.20. This trade represents a 99.20% decrease in their position.
Great-West Lifeco Stock Performance
GWO stock opened at C$79.51 on Tuesday. Great-West Lifeco Inc. has a twelve month low of C$49.78 and a twelve month high of C$79.96. The firm has a market cap of C$71.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The business's fifty day simple moving average is C$70.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$66.44. The company has a quick ratio of 22.18, a current ratio of 6.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.59.
Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported C$1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$8.37 billion during the quarter. Great-West Lifeco had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.17%. Analysts predict that Great-West Lifeco Inc. will post 4.4525194 earnings per share for the current year.
Great-West Lifeco Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Great-West Lifeco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Great-West Lifeco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.76%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GWO shares. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$75.00 to C$81.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. TD boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$73.00 to C$80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$64.00 to C$77.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$70.00 to C$73.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$68.00 to C$70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of C$77.18.
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About Great-West Lifeco
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Great-West Lifeco is one of the three big Canadian life insurance firms. With just under half of the firm's profit and revenue in Canada, Great-West also operates in the U.S. and Europe. In Canada, Great-West provides both individual and group insurance. In the United States, Great-West operates Putnam Investments and defined-contribution recordkeeping firm Empower Retirement. In 2020, Great-West announced it would acquire Personal Capital and MassMutual's recordkeeping business. In Europe, Great-West offers life insurance, annuities, and reinsurance primarily in the U.K., Ireland, and Germany.
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