Candriam S.C.A. Sells 1,009 Shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF)

Candriam S.C.A. cut its position in shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,619 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,009 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Sun Life Financial were worth $690,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SLF. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,643 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 47,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,843,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Five Oceans Advisors raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 3,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Sun Life Financial by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,291,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. 52.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sun Life Financial Price Performance

Shares of SLF stock opened at $54.35 on Tuesday. Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 1-year low of $46.41 and a 1-year high of $62.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $57.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.83. The company has a market cap of $31.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.04.

Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF) (TSE:SLF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.30. Sun Life Financial had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 8.08%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sun Life Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.5876 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $2.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.32%. Sun Life Financial’s payout ratio is presently 60.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Sun Life Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cormark upgraded Sun Life Financial from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded Sun Life Financial from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sun Life Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sun Life Financial 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.