Blue Trust Inc. Has $881,000 Holdings in Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial Co. (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) by 30.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,919 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MFC. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Manulife Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Manulife Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC increased its stake in Manulife Financial by 103.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Manulife Financial Stock Up 0.5 %

MFC stock opened at $30.38 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $31.03 and a 200-day moving average of $29.30. Manulife Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $21.54 and a 12-month high of $33.07. The firm has a market cap of $52.51 billion, a PE ratio of 14.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.09.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.30. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $10.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Manulife Financial Co. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a dividend of $0.296 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 59.42%.

Manulife Financial Profile

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.