Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as C$50.28 and last traded at C$50.22, with a volume of 3330866 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$49.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWO. TD Securities upped their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$47.00 to C$51.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$50.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$45.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$47.63.

Great-West Lifeco Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 22.18, a current ratio of 37.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61. The firm has a market cap of C$47.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of C$47.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$43.70.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Great-West Lifeco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Great-West Lifeco

In other news, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$44.72, for a total value of C$1,135,888.00. Also, Director Paul Mahon sold 146,826 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$49.88, for a total value of C$7,323,842.39. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 235,251 shares of company stock worth $11,463,390. 70.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Great-West Lifeco

Great-West Lifeco Inc engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.