TSE:GWO

Great West Lifeco (GWO.TO)

93.99
+0.08 (0.09%)
as of Nov 13, 2026, 9:00:00 pm Market Closed.
421 watching
0
BUY
Allan Tong’s Discover Picks True, insurance isn't as exciting as EV's or the metaverse, but, hey, everybody buys insurance. For this reason, GWL is highly defensive. Also, it trades at a low 10.76x PE, boasts a stable 0.84 beta, and pays a fat 5.35% dividend (based on a payout ratio of 53.61%). And yes, rising rates will help the company. Read 3 Canadian Dividend Stocks for our full analysis.
BUY
More value right now in lifecos than in banking. GWO is his favourite for the management and capital allocation. More of a mature market focus. See his Top Picks.
TOP PICK
For income-oriented investors. Inexpensive valuation, reasonable growth profile. Management is good at allocating capital. Yield is 4.95%. (Analysts’ price target is $42.30)
TOP PICK
They've made a big push into the U.S. retirement services business, basically a record-keeping market. It's a very defenisive stock, trades at a cheap 10x earnings and pays a 4.5% dividend. GWO will see earnings growth. Pays a 4% dividend. (Analysts’ price target is $40.00)
PARTIAL SELL
He's shied away from insurance companies, as lower bond yields aren't positive for them. Had a great run. Beat numbers handily last quarter. May not be sustainable. Assets are a bit of a black box. Great operators. Hold or trim.
BUY

He owns and likes both this and SLF. Both GWO and SLF have 52% revenue exposure from Canada, but SLF has a bit more Asian exposure and GWO has European exposure. GWO has outperformed the TSX since last April/May, but there's more to go. Both will benefit from rising yields. GWO's yield is about 4.73%.

BUY

GWO vs. MFC Likes Great West because of its strong yield of about 4.76%. CMF dividend is 4.63%. Both have performed well since March 2020. Quite similar. MFC provides more foreign exposure, especially Asia. Insurers are doing well now, and benefit from steepening yield curves.

COMMENT
GWO is the holding company of several lifecos, including London Life and Canada Life. GWO is cleaning up operations to cut costs.
BUY

GWO vs. SLF Insurance companies have done a lot to reduce their risk. GWO is cheaper than SLF, with a higher growth rate, but it hasn't been as steady eddy as SLF. Whole space is pretty cheap. Dividends are safe. Boring area. You can own both, but GWO is the better buy.

WAIT

GWO vs MFC vs SLF? In general, he thinks all insurance companies are safe here. They don't have the threat of rising loan losses, like the banks do. They trade cheaper than the banks. Capital ratios are solid. They are finding ways to deal with low interest rates. GWO has a good job. MFC is very cheap, compared to its peers. SLF has been the steady eddy of the group. He likes them all. He would buy now, but you might be able to purchase them cheaper in the next couple of months.

DON'T BUY
Very cheap? This is not the right environment for insurance companies. You have to think if interest rates are going to remain low going forward, it will be difficult for them to make consistent profits. He would look elsewhere. He would rather play in US markets with US dollars instead. Yield 8%
BUY
Likes it a lot and recommended it a few weeks ago as yields have been bottoming and flattening out. Yields will rise long-term, he predict, which will benefit lifecos like this. GWO broke its downtrend at end-2018, rose, hit a second bottom (a double-bottom) and is now accelerating higher.
BUY
The Canadian insurance sector generally trades cheap, and the balance sheets look great. Insurance companies are cheaper and are capitalized cheaper than banks. GWO would be a fine name if there is no recession. Even with a recession, you have 5% dividends to weather the storm.
DON'T BUY
There is value in it at $10 to $15 dollars. Insurance companies in a negative interest rate environment are tragic. This sector is a 'Hard Avoid' until the dust settles.
DON'T BUY
If you look at '07/08 you will get something similar in the next recession. With low interest rates they will not do well. This one has not grown for years nor made money for anyone.
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