Great West Lifeco (GWO.TO) Buy, Sell or Hold

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Great West Lifeco (GWO.TO)

89.28

+0.39 (0.44%)

as of Jun 25, 2026, 5:11:13 pm Market Open.

417 watching

Investor Insights

Jun 25, 2026, 12:00 am

This summary was created by AI, based on 7 opinions in the last 12 months.

Great West Lifeco (GWO) is regarded as a strong player in the insurance sector, characterized by stable earnings and relatively low valuations. The consensus among analysts highlights its solid dividend yield, which varies between 3.5% and 5%, and the potential for future increases in dividends, making it an attractive investment option. Despite some analysts noting it is currently trading at a high valuation relative to its growth profile, there is a general belief that it presents a good buying opportunity given its strong fundamentals. Comparisons with other financial stocks like Manulife Financial (MFC) suggest that while GWO has a lower beta, indicating less volatility, it still offers good quality assets and steady earnings growth. Overall, GWO is viewed positively, though some experts suggest waiting for a better entry point before buying.

Consensus

Buy

Valuation

Overvalued

Similar

MFC

BUY

This is his favourite insurance company. He would prefer to buy it at $24 but it doesn't have the same leverage and credit issues that Manulife (MFC-T) and Sun (SLF-T) have. It is the most likely to raise its dividend sooner. Good ROE. $28-$29 in 1 year.

HOLD

All insurance companies are exposed to the equity markets and the low interest rate environment. At 10X next year's earnings and with a nice yield, he would Hold.

TOP PICK

Has about twice the yield of Manulife (MFC-T) and Sun Life (SLF-T). Stable base gives its stability. He has traded this buying below $24-$25 and selling in the high $20's. In this range, you can accumulate this.

BUY ON WEAKNESS

If you are happy with the dividend along the way you could hold it. There are a couple of spots to buy more.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick May 28/09. Up 17.6%.) Treated this as a trading stock and was in and out. Just started nibbling again. Seems to run out of gas when it gets up to the $28-$29 area. Good yield.

HOLD

Lifecos lagged banks on the recent move. If you think the market is going to recover, this one is probably the safest of the Big 3. If earnings come as he expects over the next few quarters it should be a small increase, which could propel it towards $30. (See Top Picks.)

HOLD

(Market Call Minute) Worried about insurance companies being soft.

BUY

Likes the sector. Particular about which name, but they own it through Power Financial. You will get earnings growth and dividend growth.

BUY

Fundamentally this is a much safer stock than Manulife (MFC-T). Cdn$ is under pressure like all commodity-based currencies. If you are looking to Buy & Hold for the longer-term it's not a bad entry point. Otherwise you might consider a Canadian bank stock instead.

BUY

On lifecos, great West life (GWO-T) would be good for the conservative investor who needs more dividend and Manulife for the more aggressive investor looking for capital appreciation. These are the 2 that he would focus on. Almost 5% dividend yield.

COMMENT

Prefers to own this through Power Financial (PWF-T) because this also gives you IGM Financial (IGM-T).

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Feb 2w3/09. Up 86.6%.) Expecting a normal 8%-10% increase from this point on.

BUY

(Market Call Minute.) Good yield of 5% and safe to sit with.

SELL

Had a pretty good move and there is now better value in smaller insurance companies. Interest now seems to be shifting from the lifecos into the property and casualty. Intact Financial (IFC-T) would be an interesting switch.

BUY

Well managed and more conservative than Manulife (MFC-T) as they were not aggressive in the variable annuity market. 5.1% yield

Showing 166 to 180 of 396 entries

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Great West Lifeco (GWO.TO)