Manulife Financial (MFC.TO) Buy, Sell or Hold

Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)

61.50

-0.03 (0.05%)

as of Sep 24, 2026, 8:00:00 pm Market Open.

1632 watching

DON'T BUY

It's so tough here. He ranks it negatively. The financial health of MFC is poor. If it breaks below $25.43, watch out. It yield 4.9%, but he is worried about financials trading at these levels. There's something wrong with their balance sheet, but he hasn't done a deep dive on it. Sell if it falls to $24.50. Doesn't see an upside here, just the dividend.

PARTIAL SELL

A stellar performance in the last 6 months with strong dividend growth in the past year. But slower economic activity in Asia is a headwind. Take profits or sell, then re-enter in the summer on a 10-15% pullback. He likes the dividend.

COMMENT

Hasn't been a growth story. When an insurance company writes an insurance policy, they have a long term liability. They need to earn a rate of return. 5-6 years, there hasn't been growth. Likes it and owns it below $20-$25. Does not want to own it around $30.

BUY ON WEAKNESS

Defensive, modest beats, clean last quarter, doing well in Asia, incredibly cheap, decent growth rate. Sort of like that cough syrup commercial, "You might not like it, but it works." Has severely underperformed. Accounting standards headwinds. Trades at 6x with a 10% growth rate. Whippy stock, you can probably purchase under $25 or 24.50.

SELL ON STRENGTH

Allan Tong’s Discover Picks MFC pays a safe dividend, too (at a 32.98% payout ratio), but it’s even higher at 5.16%. Mind you, the street has a bullish forward PE of 11.91x on SLF, so the street believes in the company’s growth. Profit margins of both insurers are virtually the same around 11.5%, but MFC trades at a lower PE of 7.3x. However, MFC shares can never breach $28, despite consistent price targets as high as $30. Why, I don’t know, but the charts are there to see. Read 4 Promising TSX Stocks for our full analysis.

HOLD

Good company, nice dividend. Asian franchise is really strong, which will add growth over the long term, but is adding volatility right now. Not paying a lot for it, either on PE or price to book. Nice story to have.

HOLD

Sell MFC and buy BNS? Is watching the impact of Hong Kong on MFC. She prefers owning Canadian banks to lifecos. MFC trades at a discount to the group. Manager continue to rectify past company mistakes. The dividend is safe. She does own BNS.

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TOP PICK

Stockchase Research Editor: Michael O’Reilly As a quality Canadian company with growing sales volumes, favourable interest rates, and disciplined expense management, we reiterate MFC as a TOP PICK. A favorable product mix, higher margins in annuities and international business are expected to drive future value. It pays a great dividend, backed by a payout ratio under 35% of cash flow. We continue to recommend a stop at $21, looking to achieve $30.50 — upside potential over 23%. Yield 5.2% (Analysts’ price target is $30.31)

TOP PICK

Value name. One of the world's largest lifecos. Asia represents 50% revenue, middle class is growing. Aging global population needs wealth management services. Rising interest rates. Just under 1x price to book, significant discount to peers. Dividend should grow moderately, plus nice capital appreciation. Yield is 5.22%. (Analysts’ price target is $31.70)

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Jan 11/21, Up 20%) Likes it still, especially with rising interest rates. Lifecos will earn more on their spreads. Still on the cheap side.

BUY

MFC vs. SLF MFC is cheaper, better yield. Rising rates are good for insurance companies broadly, and MFC in particular. Long-term chart shows it has traded higher under normal interest rates conditions. Mild preference for MFC.

BUY

More value right now in lifecos than in banking. GWO is his favourite for the management and capital allocation. But MFC and SLF are both good. MFC is repositioning itself, releasing excess capital. Fundamentally undervalued. Trades at 8x normalized earnings. You could buy and hold for the long term.

WEAK BUY

Caller owns 7,000 shares You should diversify. MFC trades at a discount to the group because it has issues, but management is dealing with that. She expects MFC to catch up, but she is reassessing MFC. She hears how the younger people are leaving Hong Kong, which could dampen MFC's growth in that region.

TRADE

Has had a good run and beat on the 4th quarter. Asia component is good and it is cheap at 6.84 times with 11% growth rate. Concerns relate to long term care component along with new accounting standards. Not buying long. Recommends keeping cash for more opportunities.

BUY

Not sure why so cheap. Trades at a deep discount at only 7X core P/E and earnings are growing. Great dividend yield and is a value oriented play.

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Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)