Great-West Lifeco (TSE:GWO) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (TSE:GWO) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$44.65 and traded as high as C$47.86. Great-West Lifeco shares last traded at C$47.67, with a volume of 615,001 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWO. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Great-West Lifeco from C$42.00 to C$48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$43.00 to C$45.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Great-West Lifeco from C$47.00 to C$51.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Great-West Lifeco from C$44.00 to C$50.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, CIBC raised their price objective on Great-West Lifeco from C$51.00 to C$55.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$47.63.

Great-West Lifeco Trading Down 1.5 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of C$48.17 and a 200 day moving average of C$44.70. The firm has a market cap of C$43.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 22.18, a current ratio of 37.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.61.

Great-West Lifeco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.73%. Great-West Lifeco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.78%.

Insider Activity

In other Great-West Lifeco news, Senior Officer Colleen Nancy Bailey Moffitt sold 825 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$49.11, for a total transaction of C$40,515.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 66 shares in the company, valued at C$3,241.26. This represents a 92.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, Director Paul Mahon sold 146,826 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$49.88, for a total value of C$7,323,842.39. Insiders sold a total of 209,851 shares of company stock valued at $10,327,502 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

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.