They share their rising success with investors

Article Excerpt

Business—both in Canada and internationally—remains strong for our two top Canadian insurance recommendations. These two stocks largely recovered all of the ground they lost in March 2020 with onset of the pandemic. We think they are now poised to move even higher. Meanwhile, each insurer offers you a solid, sustainable dividend yield. MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP., $25.27, is a buy. This safety-conscious blue-chip company (Toronto symbol MFC; Shares o/s: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $48.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.2%; www.manulife.ca) is Canada’s largest life insurer. Manulife sells other forms of insurance, including health, dental and travel plans; its mutual funds and investment management services further diversify its revenue stream. As of December 31, 2021, the company had $1.4 trillion in assets under administration. Increasingly, markets outside of Canada—especially Asia (39% of earnings)—contribute to its growth­. In the quarter ended December 31, 2021, earnings before unusual items rose 15.9%, to $1.71 billion, or $0.84 a share, from $1.47 billion, or $0.74, a year earlier. The rise reflects…