Dividend increase: Great-West Lifeco

Article Excerpt

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $30 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; shares outstanding: 987.7 million; Market cap: $29.6 billion; Dividend yield: 5.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s second-largest insurance company, after Manulife Financial. It also offers mutual funds and wealth management services. Power Financial Corp. (Toronto symbol PWF) owns 67.7% of the company. Starting with the March 2019 payment, the company will raise its quarterly dividend by 6.2%, to $0.413 a share from $0.389. The new annual rate of $1.65 yields a high 5.5%. In the three months ended December 31, 2018, Great-West’s revenue fell 9.4%%, to $11.7 billion from $12.9 billion a year earlier. That’s due to a $398 million loss on its investment portfolio compared to a gain of $1.4 billion in the year-earlier quarter. Earnings per share declined 2.7%, to $0.72 from $0.74. Great-West Lifeco is a hold. hold…