Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) Sets New 12-Month High Following Dividend Announcement

Shares of Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $40.39 and last traded at $40.0720, with a volume of 567 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $40.03.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MFC. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Manulife Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Manulife Financial currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.50.

Manulife Financial Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $36.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.87.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) (TSE:MFC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $8.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 16.70% and a net margin of 10.19%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Corp will post 3.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Manulife Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Manulife Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Manulife reported first-quarter 2026 core earnings of C$1.8 billion and core EPS of C$1.06, both up year over year, while new business CSM also grew strongly. Manulife Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders backed the board slate, auditor, and management pay plan at the 2026 annual meeting, signaling broad governance support. Manulife Shareholders Back Board Slate, Auditor and Pay Plan at 2026 AGM
• Neutral Sentiment: Manulife reiterated its dividend, including a quarterly common-share payout of C$0.485, which supports its income appeal but was already expected. Manulife declares common share dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared preferred-share dividends and released its 2025 sustainability report, both routine announcements with limited immediate stock impact. Manulife declares preferred share dividend Manulife Releases 2025 Sustainability Report and Public Accountability Statement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite year-over-year growth, the quarter came in below expectations on core EPS, and analysts noted weaker insurance experience in Canada and lower investment spreads in the U.S., pressuring sentiment. Manulife Financial Q1 Earnings Miss Expectations, APE Sales Rise Y/Y

Institutional Trading of Manulife Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MFC. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Manulife Financial by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 6,861,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $215,779,000 after buying an additional 166,076 shares in the last quarter. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,021,000. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 11,541,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $359,662,000 after buying an additional 621,093 shares during the last quarter. Sienna Gestion grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 233.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 556,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,804,000 after buying an additional 389,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz SE purchased a new position in Manulife Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $879,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the company’s stock.

Manulife Financial Company Profile

Manulife Financial Corporation is a multinational insurance and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in the late 19th century as The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, Manulife provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual and institutional clients. Its core businesses include life and health insurance, retirement and pension solutions, wealth and asset management, and group benefits.

In wealth and asset management, Manulife operates through Manulife Investment Management and offers mutual funds, segregated funds, institutional asset management, and retirement plan solutions.