GREAT-WEST LIFECO $35.17

GREAT-WEST LIFECO $35.17 (Toronto symbol GWO; Shares outstanding: 993.4 million; Market cap: $35.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 3.9%; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is one of Canada’s largest insurance firms. It also offers mutual funds and wealth management. Power Financial owns 67.2% of Great-West. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Great-West’s earnings rose 4.5%, to $0.69 a share from $0.66 a year earlier. As of December 31, 2015, the company had $1.2 trillion of assets under administration, up 14.0% from a year ago. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 6.1% with the March 2016 payment, to $0.346 from $0.326. The shares yield 3.9%. The stock trades at just 12.0 times Great-West’s forecast 2016 earnings of $2.93 a share. Great-West Lifeco is still a buy.

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