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

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Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)

61.54

+1.62 (2.70%)

as of Sep 3, 2026, 7:20:59 pm Market Open.

1632 watching

Investor Insights

Sep 3, 2026, 12:00 am

This summary was created by AI, based on 27 opinions in the last 12 months.

Manulife Financial is navigating a complex landscape marked by both growth opportunities and challenges. While the company has reported a strong quarter and shows healthy growth, particularly in Asia and wealth management, concerns exist surrounding the newly imposed tax by the Chinese government on its products. The stock's valuation is drawing mixed reactions, with some experts noting it's currently overbought and trading above 2x book value. However, many analysts maintain a positive outlook, emphasizing its steady dividend yield and potential for long-term growth, particularly if macroeconomic conditions shift in its favor. Despite some recent underperformance compared to peers, strong fundamentals and a reliable business model position Manulife well for the future.

Consensus

Positive

Valuation

Fair Value

Similar

SLF

COMMENT

Based on fundamentals, why is this so low? Very low interest rates are a reason. Insurance companies are great when rates rise. MFC is well-managed and have turned around the company in the past company, and their Asian operations are a definite plus. MFC should return to $25-30 when rates and the wider economy recover.

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PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Jul 11/19, Down 19%) MFC is hurt by very low interest rates; all financial stocks are. Short term this will hurt earnings, but long term he likes their huge AUM across Canada, America and Asia. Their Asian operations will see rising demand from the Asian middle class needing insurance. Since the recession, they sold a lot of operations that were interest-rate sensitive, and lingering investor fears about this are unwarranted.

BUY

They made a strong effort at communicating with the investment community. Their first quarter was fairly good. They have a strong capital base. The dividend is not in jeopardy.

HOLD

Frustrating stock! Fundamentally, the company's new CEO has been right-sizing operations and with the virus this year premiums collected have had a hard time finding yield. This has hurt the stock in the first quarter. The price to book is 0.6 times -- very attractive. She thinks this is a good hold and you have to think longer term. She does own this.

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.

TOP PICK

He liked this around $18. He does not know why it has been a laggard for so long. If are really are in a full recovery, assets values in personal wealth should recover -- although he is a little skeptical. You would be well served owning it below $20. Yield 5.82% (Analysts’ price target is $22.22)

BUY

Low interest rates are not great for insurance companies. He thinks the risks are priced in. He thinks it will get a tail wind with the rest of the financials playing catch-up to the markets.

HOLD

It has been a frustrating stock going back to '08/'09. He feels it is undervalued. It's like the banks where investors have concerns about the financial sector. Some of the concerns are real and MFC-T just gets lumped into it. This is a stock you would buy and hold for a long term, so at current levels it is not a bad opportunity.

WEAK BUY

It's trading near its 8-year low. MFC is most responsive to changes in equity markets. It's trading now at price-to-book of 0.6x, so you could probably buy it now and be fine, but an American one has sold off as much, but isn't enduring a restructuring like MFC. He prefers Lincoln National in the US where there is also insider buying. MFC doesn't have insider buying.

DON'T BUY

You want to buy companies that are good and getting better and thriving in the current environment. The difficulty with financials is that they are dependent on the environment going forward. If it was going to be a quick recovery it would be okay but the market is not telling you that. Buy it when the stock market is going to take off, or when the long term rates are about to move up a bunch. The insurance sector as a whole is under some pressure.

HOLD

China exposure? All the Canadian life companies reported earnings last week. As they collect premiums up front and invest in bonds, etc. until they need to payout, they are now at risk to losses on those investments. She feels MFC is emerging from this much better than back in 2008 and thinks the balance sheet is much stronger. She owns it and will continue to do so. Their Asian market exposure offers a great long term opportunity.

DON'T BUY

He would stay clear of this. The market is saying there is something wrong with the balance sheet. You would be better off looking for better quality companies.

DON'T BUY

MFC-T vs. SLF-T. He would not jump from one to the other unless you have some great knowledge. They are facing lots of headwinds from low interest rates. MFC-T never recovered from the financial crisis. He is not interested in owning the lifecos except BRK-N.

BUY

Dividend safe? He likes and owns MFC. The yield is juicy as the stock price has fallen -- about 6.6%. He thinks it is secure and the payout ratio is expected to be about 45%. It has a strong credit rating. It will face issues with the outlook for their investment business in bonds and mortgages. The re-investment yields are much lower today. Their wealth asset management business will likely be negatively impacted as well. He still seems them as a leader in the space. Earnings have grown at 9% annually and he thinks that will return. It trades at only 6 times earnings. He would buy today.

COMMENT

MFC vs SLF He sees a lot of value in the insurance sector. He owns MFC, but there is no flaw in holding SLF either. MFC has growth focused on Asia. Both are undervalued at about 7 times earnings.

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Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)