Top insurers offer dependable dividends

Article Excerpt

These two insurers remain a great choice for steady dividend income, despite the recent volatility of stock markets and the resulting hit to their asset management income. MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP. $22 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol MFC; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $41.8 billion; Dividend yield: 6.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.manulife.ca) is Canada’s largest life insurer. It also sells other forms of insurance, including health, dental and travel plans; its mutual funds and investment management services further diversify its revenue stream. The company is also a leading insurer in Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Manulife last raised its quarterly dividend with the December 2021 payment. Investors now receive $0.33 a share, up 17.9% from $0.28. The new annual dividend rate of $1.32 yields a high 6.0%. In the quarter ended June 30, 2022, earnings before one-time items fell 7.1%, to $1.56 billion from $1.68 billion a year earlier. With fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share fell…