National Bank Financial Upgrades Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) to Outperform

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) was upgraded by stock analysts at National Bank Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sun Life Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial Stock Performance

Sun Life Financial stock opened at $57.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $33.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.82, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.03. Sun Life Financial has a 1 year low of $46.41 and a 1 year high of $62.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $59.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.85.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sun Life Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sun Life Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Burney Co. raised its holdings in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 87,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,171,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 65,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,863,000 after buying an additional 2,507 shares during the period. JCIC Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Sun Life Financial by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 108,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,428,000 after purchasing an additional 1,979 shares during the period. Finally, QV Investors Inc. increased its stake in Sun Life Financial by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. QV Investors Inc. now owns 1,352,446 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,261,000 after buying an additional 141,712 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.26% of the company’s stock.

Sun Life Financial Company 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.