Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$47.63.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. CIBC upped their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$51.00 to C$55.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$50.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Securities increased their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$47.00 to C$51.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$45.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Great-West Lifeco Price Performance

Shares of GWO opened at C$49.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of C$46.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 37.46, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of C$46.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$43.37. Great-West Lifeco has a 1-year low of C$38.44 and a 1-year high of C$49.64.

Great-West Lifeco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. Great-West Lifeco’s payout ratio is 55.78%.

Insider Activity at Great-West Lifeco

In related news, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$44.72, for a total transaction of C$1,135,888.00. Also, Director Richard Henry Linton sold 35,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$46.27, for a total transaction of C$1,656,344.28. Insiders have sold a total of 88,425 shares of company stock valued at $4,139,548 over the last ninety days. 70.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Great-West Lifeco Company Profile

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.