Great-West sells a unit

Article Excerpt

GREAT-WEST LIFECO, $36.82, is still a hold. The insurer (Toronto symbol GWO; shares o/s: 928.4 million; Market cap: $34.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.8%; www.greatwestlifeco.com) recently announced a new alliance with Sagard Holdings, a Montreal-based wealth management firm. Sagard will buy Colorado-based EverWest, a real estate investment management firm with $3.8 billion U.S. in assets under management, from Great-West. In exchange, Great-West will receive a minority stake in Sagard Holdings Management Inc., a subsidiary of Sagard. As well, it will invest $500 million U.S. in certain Sagard funds and $2 billion U.S. in EverWest. The transaction will help fuel EverWest’s growth, and give the company an opportunity to cross-sell its products to Sagard’s clients. This is the latest in a series of acquisitions meant to diversify Great-West’s operations. However, expanding by acquisition adds risk. Great-West Lifeco is still a hold. hold…