Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)

MFC is the name in the Insurance space that keeps working. A few years ago, it was like that cough syrup -- doesn't taste good, but it works. Insurance companies are set to outperform banks. MFC is #1, SLF #2, POW #3.

Share price up nicely - a little strong, but overall very good trends.. Excellent balance sheet strength. Capital allocation very strong the past few years. Excellent CEO. Recently selling problematic assets. Seeing rebound in Asia market. Good for shareholders in the long term. Core holding in income portfolio. 

Ranks a bit higher than SLF on his screens, but it's not by a significant amount. Exposure to Asia, a growing market. Yield is 4.9%, dividend should increase over time.

Some of the insurers are outperforming the banks because they're a bit more levered to falling interest rates, fewer credit concerns and loan-loss provisions. Likes banks, too.

At best - under performer. Not the best option for investors. More Asia exposure than North America. Would prefer Sun Life. Not a good investment for long term. Don't buy. 

Banks are a tougher story due to capital ratios and inability to grow. Instead of a bank, look to MFC or SLF.

Stock performance a good sign for momentum investors. Resistance in share price appears to have ebbed. Would recommenced buying based on seasonal basis. 

Excellent franchise with highest credit ratings in the world. Very good debt levels. New CEO performing very well. Last year saw dividend increase. Higher interest rates mean better returns for the business. Will continue to own shares. 

Breaking out of a more than decade-long range. Finally have some fundamentals on LTC portfolio. Reinsurance deal was better than expected. Underlying business performing pretty well. Asia has both potential and potential risks. Not expensive. Have to see if the big institutional money moves in. Yield is 5.05%.

It's popped slightly recently. They just did a deal in which they released $1.2 billion of free capital--this finally woke up people that MFC is a little undervalued. It still is at 8x PE with a price-to-book of 1.3x. Under this CEO in recent years, they've been streamlining operations to be more efficient and adding growth. This has been a top pick of his many times.

Widely held. Had been stuck in a trading range for years. However, finally breaking out. Last week's transaction has prompted a look with fresh eyes. De-risked US business, prompting stock re-rating. Warming up to it, might pull the trigger in the new year.

Interest rate sensitive business. Would recommend buying based on chart. Sees new highs going forward. Owns shares in portfolio. Chart looking great. 

Doing well with their Asian (Hong Kong) operations. Results have been positive recently while improving bond yields helps them. Short-term prospects are good.

Is buying back stock, an ROE of 17%, and pays a 5.5% dividend. Likes their geographic footprint.

It is not trading above its 200 day moving average and has been at its consolidation level for a long time. Look for a breakout above $28. It is not a trading stock but one to buy and hold. It pays a decent dividend without big risks.

Growth continues to be limited. The shares have been rangebound between $20-30 for many years. Fundamentals are merely okay. Their footprint is mostly in Canada with an insurance business in the US, plus the Asian division and wealth management. The latter two businesses are doing well and enjoy growth, but Canada offers flat growth because insurance here is fully mature.  The US is a slow grind. Trades around 8x PE, which is cheap vs. peers and banks. Problem is flat growth. The dividend pays 6% but so does a bond. This is a show-me story.