Lower costs set stage for dividend hike

Article Excerpt

MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP. $24 is a buy. The insurer (Toronto symbol MFC; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $45.6 billion; Dividend yield: 4.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.manulife.ca) last raised its quarterly dividend by 12.0% with the March 2020 payment. The new annual rate of $1.12 a share provides a high 4.7% yield. Due to COVID-19, Canadian financial regulators have instructed Manulife and other federally regulated firms to postpone dividend increases. However, now that the pandemic is easing, the company will probably increase the payment later this year. Meanwhile, Manulife continues to cut costs by digitizing its operations. In Canada, it has completed the migration of its Group Benefits clients to one administration system. It has also launched new web portals across all of its businesses. Further, in April 2021, Manulife launched a new digital sales platform in Vietnam that lets customers seamlessly purchase health insurance online. Manulife Financial is a buy. buy…