Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Given New C$48.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) had its price target upped by Jefferies Financial Group from C$42.00 to C$48.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

GWO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays set a C$43.00 price target on Great-West Lifeco and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. TD Securities upped their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$45.00 to C$47.00 in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of C$45.00.

Great-West Lifeco Stock Performance

Shares of GWO stock opened at C$47.63 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is C$44.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$42.35. The company has a current ratio of 37.46, a quick ratio of 22.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61. Great-West Lifeco has a 52 week low of C$37.06 and a 52 week high of C$47.72. The company has a market cap of C$44.40 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported C$1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$1.05 by C$0.06. Great-West Lifeco had a return on equity of 13.21% and a net margin of 11.32%. The company had revenue of C$8.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$9.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Great-West Lifeco will post 4.4525194 EPS for the current year.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.66%. Great-West Lifeco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard Henry Linton sold 35,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. In related news, Director Charles Donald Harvey Henaire sold 25,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was 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. 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.