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

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Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)

57.19

+0.15 (0.26%)

as of Jun 26, 2026, 8:00:00 pm Market Open.

1634 watching

Investor Insights

Jun 27, 2026, 12:00 am

This summary was created by AI, based on 28 opinions in the last 12 months.

Manulife Financial (MFC) has received mixed reviews from experts, highlighting its strengths in capital management, particularly in Asia and wealth management. Several analysts view it as a reliable income stock, benefiting from a decent dividend yield, yet caution against its growth potential compared to Canadian banks. The company has faced short-term challenges, including mixed results from its alternative portfolio and limited growth in its U.S. operations, which has sparked some concerns. Analysts suggest waiting for opportunities to buy during pullbacks, given its valuation relative to major financials, alongside the potential for increased profitability stemming from rising interest rates. Overall, while MFC is generally recognized for its stability and improvements in earnings quality, it struggles to capture investor attention amidst recent market shifts.

Consensus

Hold

Valuation

Fair Value

Similar

SLF-T

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Oct 22/09. Down 29.88%.) Sold most of his holdings in this. Fully valued.

DON'T BUY

His view has not changed. It went up with equity markets plus Gov’t has not made it as onerous for them to show their hedging and risk level on their balance sheet. A debt-rating agency downgraded them recently by two notches. There was less bad news than expected. The fundamentals that bother him have not changed.

BUY

Thinks sentiment has turned on it. Model price above $22. Is waiting for the Sept 30 balance sheet. Owns 2.5% position and would be a buyer. If market was to turn down or investors sniffed a recession, this stock would turn down.

PAST TOP PICK

(Top Pick Nov 30/09, Down 21.63%) Sold it after he did the top pick last year.

COMMENT

The worst is over. Even though they made such a big loss. If you buy today, you are making a bet that interest rates AND especially the stock market are going to go higher. Interest rates – how much lower can they go? They are looking at being fully hedged by 2015. Balance sheet is in much better shape. He thinks they will be going on with $1.50 in earnings being normal.

DON'T BUY

He would just as soon stay away from it, but some day it will be a screaming buy.

DON'T BUY

If they turn it around, it probably will be a good investment. Not hedging variable annuity products was an unforgivable mistake. He owns Allstate.

DON'T BUY

Banks have a similar seasonal aspect. We are in their season. With MFC you are playing the equity markets. Interest rates going down also hurt them. If equity markets start picking up again you might see MFC get some life back into it. But they have to keep adjusting their reserves. Not his favourite stock. Early ’09 may not be the bottom. It could scrape along the bottom for a bit longer.

COMMENT

You might have to wait 3 years on this one. Doesn't expect there will be any further harm. The general market should recover for them and hopefully they won't make the same mistakes they have in the past.

SELL

Some events in the last couple of years were a surprise to shareholders so predictability came out of the stock. Investment portfolio ended up under water. June quarter closed out at the low of the market, so took a hit. On this one you miss growth and the interest rate picture. (He is Short this stock.)

HOLD

Debate in his office is whether they should double up their holdings or Sell. They have decided just to keep what they have. 4% yield. If stock market and interest rates go up, they'll be fine. It could take 3 to 4 years.

PAST TOP PICK

(Top Pick Oct 14/09, Down 40%) He hopes it get back to $20. It is a longer play than he was hoping. He has averaged down. People are expecting to see a potentially large write down when they report on Nov 4th. He thinks that is priced into the stock today.

DON'T BUY

He is not the expert but you have a company that is entirely leveraged to the equity markets. Could potentially loose a lot of money in certain conditions. Other stocks don’t have these risks. He can get tech stocks with 8 or 9 times earnings.

DON'T BUY

A lot of people say the stock is a joke. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. When the stock market goes up, that is very positive for MFC. It is trading at less than book value and it could be worth $20 (book value) a year from now.

HOLD

Use it as a warrant on the market and will trade up and down with it because of its exposure to some of its long dated annuities. Looking for better markets into 2011 so would continue to Hold.

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Manulife Financial (MFC.TO)