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

BUY

Likes it, continues to buy. Geographically well diversified. Q2 earnings last week look tepid on the surface. Earnings grew 6% Y/Y. Grew organically 17%, and this is respectable. Global wealth and asset management grew 50%. A secular grower. Undemanding valuation. Trades at 7.5x earnings. Good combination of quality, growth, value. Yield of about 4.5%.

DON'T BUY

Why doesn't this trade above $30 given all its positive metrics and recent strong report? Yes, it trades cheaply at 1x book, lower then the Canadian banks. The problem is that the operations of Canadian insurers are complicated during very low interest rates. Insurers invest a lot of their money in low-duration, fixed-income assets--namely bonds--and those aren't paying much at all. The risk is that if inflation rises, then those assets will be hit as the insurers pay out policy holders more money. Also, there's worry over MFC's expansion into Asia, despite strong recent numbers, as the John Hancock expansion of some years ago remains fresh in minds.

TOP PICK

One of largest lifecos in the world. Asia counts for 35% of revenue, with greater demand in the future. Growing middle class and aging demographic are a bonus. At 1x price to book, trades at a discount to the peer group. Interest rates will benefit. Yield is 4.59%. (Analysts’ price target is $29.22)

BUY

All insurers have suffered from the flat yield curve. Bond yields picking up is bullish for all financials. It's been in the penalty box since the financial crisis and a few stumbles. Getting paid to wait. Good risk/reward. Has to prove that it can deliver and execute as SLF does.

BUY

Really likes it. Not expensive multiple. Likes the Asian franchise. Asset management has done well. Hurt by low interest rates. Stable.

HOLD

Last quarter was disappointing. Great expansion into Asia. Recent drop in yields has hurt all the financials. Dividend yield, growth, safety. Not everything in your portfolio fires at the same time. Some things you just tuck away and wait. Good company, growing. Yield is 4-5%, better than cash or bonds.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Jul 17/20, Up 34%) There is no reason to sell it. The shares remain cheap and offer an excellent yield. They offer good upside potential.

HOLD

Massive investment in Asia is one of the positives. Long-term opportunity is good. Interest rate sensitivity of the lifecos can have a magnified effect the stock price. As a long-term investor, don't worry about this.

Wealthica Track your Stocks in your Watch List

TOP PICK

Goes back to the caution on broader market. Has not seen a big run like other stocks. Yields over 4% at current levels and could increase it. Continued growth trends. Collect your dividend while you are in a stable entity and wait for upside. Good for when things look frothy. (Analysts’ price target is $29.02)

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Jun 05/20, Up 31%) They have had a great run. The company has underlying good things happening. Looking for better days.

HOLD

Likes it and a lot of the insurers. A good long-term name, though he owns SLF and GWO instead. Expects dividend to increase over time by 8-10% yearly. Pullback due to interest rates coming down. Rates will probably move higher 12-24 months out. Asia exposure is a growing segment. Yield is 4%.

HOLD

It is the most discounted insurance company in Canada. It is trading at this level because it has been the performance laggard for quite some time. It has become a show-me story. However if you were going to buy an insurance company, this would be the one to buy. There is the chance of a bounce back or a trading opportunity. It has a decent dividend while you wait for an uptick.

BUY ON WEAKNESS

Would hold and it is getting close to adding back to it. They are one of the biggest at risk plays of interest rates going down. They are geared to benefit from higher interest rates. Moves out of financials is hurting their stock price. Would add on weakness.

TOP PICK

Canada's largest lifeco. Geographically diversified. Asia is demographically advantaged. The US business is lagging, but they're working on this. Canadian business is steady-eddy. Investing relentlessly in tech. Stock is inexpensive. Yield is 4.44%. (Analysts’ price target is $28.83)

BUY

The most volatile of Canadian lifecos, because it has the greatest difference between reported earnings and core earnings due to having a ton of both market and interest rate exposure. Likes it. Nice franchise in the US and Asian exposure to the emerging consumer. It's done increasingly well the last 10 years.

Showing 241 to 255 of 2,286 entries

Most Recent Experts

Brendan Caldwell

Caldwell Securities

The Panic-Proof Portfolio (Stockchase Research)

Stockchase Premium

The Weekly Buzzing Stocks by Billy Kawasaki

Stockchase

Joe Terranova

Virtus Investment Partners

Stephen Weiss, Founder, Short Hills Capital Partners

Short Hills Capital Partners

Stockchase, in its reporting on what has been discussed by individuals on business television programs (in particular Business News Network), neither recommends nor promotes any investment strategies.

We paraphrase the experts by hand, we watch the shows and write down what we understood from the experts’ comments. We are human and can make mistakes, help us fix any errors. If you see something that you know is not right or if there is a problem with the site, feel free to email us at : [email protected].

Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)