| DON'T BUY | 38.250 | Laura Wallace | Stock price is the as what it was in 2000. Had very disappointing performance in this decade. There has to be some change in strategy and they certainly haven’t indicated that. | 2008-08-19 | |
| TOP PICK | 39.900 | Michael Sprung | Relative to other major lifecos they are very inexpensive at 1.3X BV. Should be able to earn 13%-14% over the next couple of years. Very compelling price and a good time to get in. Earnings should be north of $4 in the next couple of years. | 2008-08-14 | |
| HOLD | 39.080 | Don Lato | Canadian insurers sold off in light of the financial crisis but are still showing more solid characteristics than some of the US financials. Multiples have come down that it is now good value. | 2008-08-13 | |
| HOLD | 39.080 | Don Lato | Canadian insurers sold off in light of the financial crisis but are still showing more solid characteristics than some of the US financials. Multiples have come down that it is now good value. | 2008-08-13 | |
| BUY | 39.810 | Gordon Higgins, CA, MBA, CFA | Has had 2 disappointing quarters in a row. Volatile equity markets hurt companies like this. International earnings have also been weaker by the strong Cdn$. Trading at around 9X earnings, which is starting to make it attractive. | 2008-08-08 | |
| DON'T BUY | 39.490 | Brian Acker, CA | He has a model price of $41.50 giving a 6% positive differential. Feels that financials are dead money at best. | 2008-08-06 | |
| HOLD | 44.600 | Robert Floyd | (Market Call Minute.) Very well run life insurance Company. Hurt by the overall impact in the financial services sector. | 2008-07-23 | |
| TOP PICK | 42.000 | Gavin Graham | Down 24.8% year to date and yet its credit exposure is miniscule. PE ratio is 1.5X. Yield of 3.4%. | 2008-07-07 | |
| HOLD | 45.030 | Norman Levine | Greatly favours the Canadian life insurance companies over the Canadian banks and US financials. Down because of their US mutual fund asset. In the long run this is a great company. | 2008-06-13 | |
| HOLD | 46.250 | Robert Floyd | Likes the outlook for the insurers vs banks. | 2008-05-30 | |
| Comment | 48.200 | John O'Connell, CFA | (Market Call Minute.) Prefers Manufactures Life (MFC-T) | 2008-05-15 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 46.140 | Michael Sprung | (A Top Pick Mar 16/07. Down 7%.) Has been pulled back largely with the concerns on US financials. One of their biggest exposures is MFS in the US. Good balance sheet. Still a Buy. | 2008-04-15 | |
| TOP PICK | 45.400 | Gavin Graham | Has about $500 thousand of mortgage backed CDO’s etc., which is about .05% of its assets. 2nd biggest life insurer in Canada. Has a substantial business in the US through Massachusetts Financial Services. They bought Commonwealth Bank of Australia giving them an opening in Asia and is growing very rapidly. Have executed better than they have done in the past. 3.2% dividend yield. Attractively valued. | 2008-03-06 | |
| BUY | 46.150 | John O'Connell, CFA | Wouldn't hesitate to buy right now. A well run company. Dividend yield of 3%. Feels the financial services sector is going to go through a bit more of a rough ride here on the short-term. | 2008-03-03 | |
| HOLD | 48.080 | Peter Brieger | Statistically cheaper than ManuLife (MFC-T). He likes both companies, mainly because of their non-Canadian exposure and growth opportunities. 3% yield. | 2008-02-28 | |
| BUY | 46.920 | Paul Harris, CFA | Life insurers have been treated like banks. This is a very well run company and is not trading at excessive multiples. | 2008-02-21 | |
| SELL | 47.500 | David Burrows | (Market Call Minute.) Financials are not his favourite spot and this one is not performing as well as Manu Life (MFC-T), which he would have to pick first. | 2008-02-15 | |
| BUY | 48.200 | Gordon Higgins, CA, MBA, CFA | People have a hate on for financials. Canadian insurance companies are now more expensive on a PE multiple than the US ones. However, there are not the same risks. At 10X earnings he would be very comfortable owning this one. | 2008-01-25 | |
| TOP PICK | 53.910 | Kenneth P. Norquay, CMT | Although Canadian financials are getting hit, this one is not. The concept is relative strength, relative to other stocks. | 2008-01-04 | |
| BUY | 55.580 | Peter Brieger | Owns both Manulife (MFC-T) and Sun Life (SLF-T) but has steered his focus to Manulife because PE ratio based on 08 earnings is roughly the same. Would buy both companies equally. | 2007-12-28 | |
| BUY | 55.060 | Andrew Guy, CFA | Very disciplined management team. Have proven they can make acquisitions and integrate them all, but sometimes make too big of an acquisition and have trouble transitioning it. Hasn’t got the same credit risks as banks and very little equity exposure. Should continue to generate 15% ROE a year. Cheaper than Great West (GWO-T) and ManuLife (MFC-T). | 2007-12-27 | |
| DON'T BUY | 54.740 | Ross Healey | Feels that a lot of money has left the banks and money managers to move into the lifecos. It means that companies such as Sun Life (SLF-T), Great West (GWO-T) and Manufacturers (MFC-T) have caught up to the peak of and are exceeding their FMV. | 2007-12-20 | |
| BUY | 54.980 | David Baskin | Good company and probably a good time to buy it. Oversold. | 2007-12-18 | |
| BUY | 54.600 | Peter Brieger | On his Buy list is an equal holding of Manufacturers Life (MFC-T) and Sun Life (SLF-T). ROE on ManuLife is superior. Prefers insurance companies over banks. | 2007-12-11 | |
| BUY | 55.790 | Michael Sprung | Either Sun Life (SLF-T) or Manufacturers Life (MFC-T) is a good buy at this time. Good yield at 2.5%. Good earnings profile going forward. | 2007-12-10 | |
| BUY | 54.910 | David Cockfield | One of his favourites. Has a nice dividend. Well-run company. | 2007-12-07 | |
| BUY | 51.850 | Fred Ketchen | Good management. Company has grown, is profitable and pays a dividend regularly. | 2007-11-27 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 53.650 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Jan 15/07. Up 6%.) Yield of 2.4%. Still likes this along with Manulife (MFC-T). Likes their international exposure. Still a Buy. | 2007-11-06 | |
| WEAK BUY | 54.890 | Gavin Graham | Life insurance stocks are more expensive than banks. People are worried about the credit cyle. Believes that the insurance companies have better growth prospects over the year. Sunlife has been lagging. | 2007-10-29 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 51.950 | Bruce Campbell | (Up 23.4% since Oct. 06) He still holds it and likes the outlook. It has a healthy dividend yield. Recommends buying it on weakness under $50. | 2007-10-24 | |
| VAGUE | 51.950 | Brendan Caldwell | Likes Manulife's chart better, but still likes this. SLF is still trading sideways, whereas Manulife has broken out. | 2007-10-24 | |
| VAGUE | 51.950 | David Baskin | A good Insurance Company, but he prefer's Manulife. | 2007-10-23 | |
| BUY | 51.590 | Peter Brieger | Likes it and Manulife, because of the exposure to India and China and their money management in the States, (and Canada for Manulife).
| 2007-10-17 | |
| TOP PICK | 51.400 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Oct 16/06. Up 13.1%.) Looking for 8% to 10% capital gain plus dividend yield of about 2.4%. Should be a steady grower. Low risk. | 2007-09-25 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 50.790 | Michael Sprung | (Past Top Pick Oct 18/06. Up 11.1%.) Doing some very good things, positioning itself and moving forward. Valuation is still attractive. | 2007-08-31 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 50.900 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Oct 16/06. Up 13.4%.) Still a buy. | 2007-08-28 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 49.400 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Aug 14/06. Up 20%.) Still a Buy. | 2007-08-14 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.010 | Michael Sprung | Insurance companies are a good alternative to banks. A little us exposed to credit concerns. This stock is selling at a very compelling price relative to the competition. Expects earnings to go from $3.58 last year to over $4 this year and possibly $4.40-$4.50 next year. They're diversifying internationally. Very strong balance sheet. | 2007-08-10 | |
| BUY | 52.450 | Gavin Graham | A nice complement to Manulife (MFC-T) because of its different assets. You could buy both and do very well. | 2007-08-08 | |
| DON'T BUY | 50.930 | Michael Smedley | Hasn't been too exciting for some months. Prefers Manufacturers (MFC-T). | 2007-08-03 | |
| TOP PICK | 50.930 | Peter Brieger | There is a potential of the equalization of the price multiple to Manufacturers (MFC-T). | 2007-08-03 | |
| BUY | 51.340 | Chyanne Fickes | Just came out with excellent earnings. Looks interesting. | 2007-08-02 | |
| DON'T BUY | 50.150 | Brian Acker, CA | The model price is $49.59, which is spot on the current stock price. The model price has come down, reflecting increase in rates. | 2007-06-21 | |
| BUY | 49.240 | David Baskin | A good stock. The pullback represents a buying opportunity if you are a long-term believer in the company. Prefers some of the other life companies, which have a better growth profile. | 2007-06-19 | |
| BUY | 49.510 | John Zechner | Doesn't have huge expectations, but the Lifecos look better with a rising rate environment. Valuation looks good. | 2007-06-18 | |
| TOP PICK | 49.550 | Michael Sprung | Manulife is held up as the cream of the crop but right now Sun life is a much better buy. Going into a raising interest rate environment, the life companies will do better then the banks. | 2007-06-15 | |
| WEAK BUY | 49.000 | Bill Carrigan | Financials are interest sensitive.
This one has a rising wedge. The stock is generally going up, but the highs and lows are getting progressively closer. What you want is parallel lines.
It will probably rally from here.
Suggests that you split your money between 5 sectors. | 2007-06-13 | |
| BUY on WEAKNESS | 48.800 | James Cole, BA, CFA | A great long term performer. He owns Manulife, Sunlife and Great West. Sunlife doesn't get any respect (Rodney Dangerfield). Trading around 12 times earnings + dividend. Not surprising to see a little pull back, so worth while to buy now. | 2007-06-12 | |
| WEAK BUY | 48.600 | Laura Wallace | Prefers Sunlife over Great West Life, because there is more turnaround potential there.
| 2007-06-08 | |
| TOP PICK | 50.220 | Michael Sprung | In the financial area, this is attractively valued. Has some very strong components to it. ROE is going up from nearly 14% to about 15%. | 2007-05-28 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.390 | Peter Brieger | Statistically cheaper than Manufacturers (MFC-T) at 13.9% forward earnings Manufacturers and 13% for Sun. also has a better yield. Like its exposure in India which is a huge market and burgeoning. | 2007-05-16 | |
| Comment | 50.500 | Bruce Campbell | Prefers both Manulife (MFC-T) and Great West Life (GWO-T), Last week’s reporting was at the low end of expectation. Growth side is a little weak. More North American centric and therefore the lack of N.A. growth is a concern. Would prefer at $47-$48. | 2007-05-09 | |
| SELL | 49.790 | Don Vialoux | Had a very good track record, but as of today broke the trend and the support line. In a bit of a quandary for a while. Came out with worse then expected results a couple of days ago. Time to take some profits. | 2007-05-05 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 51.410 | Peter Brieger | Cheaper then Manulife, they like both. Likes insurance better then banks.
Will be making further acquisitions.
| 2007-05-02 | |
| DON'T BUY | 51.000 | Norman Levine | The weak sister of the 3 Canadian life companies. Had a big run because it had been a poor performer fundamentally, started to improve and expectations got built in. Have problems in their core US life business. | 2007-05-01 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.830 | Michael Sprung | An alternative to the banks, which are getting quite high. Have shown some good discipline. | 2007-04-27 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 53.560 | Peter Brieger | A Top Pick Sept 26/06. Up 14%.) Likes the insurance sector. | 2007-04-18 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.440 | Michael Sprung | One way to diversify away from the major banks. The lifeco’s right now are very capital rich. Has been strategically investing in global assets. Annuities sales in the U. S. have done very well. Can see earnings going from $3.60 to $4 and $4.50 the following year. | 2007-04-10 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.900 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Jan 15/07. Up 7%.) Offers great exposure to money management and insurance in the US as well as insurance in India and China. | 2007-04-04 | |
| BUY | 52.590 | Ian Nakamoto | Likes the long-term nature of the insurance companies with their wealth management. | 2007-03-29 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.980 | Gavin Graham | Made several stumbles. Have good exposure to the mutual fund industry. 2.4% dividend yield. | 2007-03-26 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 52.550 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Nov 29/06. Up 5.7%.) Superbly run and gives good exposure to the US and the Far East. Still a Buy. | 2007-03-21 | |
| TOP PICK | 51.010 | Michael Sprung | Extremely well priced. Seems to sell at a little bit of a discount, yet have very good assets. Likes their strategy of expanding internationally. 2.5% dividend. | 2007-03-16 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 50.750 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick March 13/06. Up 1.2%.) A superb company. Likes their participation in India and China. Still considered a Buy. | 2007-03-02 | |
| BUY | 51.840 | Patrick Kim | If he had to rank the insurance companies, this would have to be his top pick. All 3 of the major names are doing well, but this one is closing the gap. | 2007-02-22 | |
| BUY | 52.560 | Michael Sprung | Likes the fundamentals. There are improvements on its Return on Equity. Sells at a bit of a discount to ManuLife (MFC-T). Insurance companies are doing well and expanding internationally. | 2007-02-20 | |
| TOP PICK | 52.830 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Nov 29/06. Up 8.1%.) Gives you a chance to participate in a Canadian company that is growing internationally. | 2007-02-19 | |
| BUY | 52.170 | Ron Meisels | 200 a moving average has been following the stock since 2003. Flattened out a bit, but is again rising, which is an excellent sign. Had a bit of a correction in 2006, which was healthy, but is on the rise again. | 2007-02-14 | |
| BUY | 51.800 | Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc | A well-run insurance company, but prefers ManuLife (MFC-T), which is a better grower and a little more disciplined in management. Good dividend. | 2007-02-09 | |
| Comment | 51.460 | Chris Smith | Likes the stock. Trading roughly in line with the banks. | 2007-02-07 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 51.070 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Feb 20/06. Up 4.2%.) If he were buying an insurance company today, this would be the one at 14.4 X this year's earnings, compared to 16.2 for Manulife (MFC-T). | 2007-02-02 | |
| SELL | 49.990 | John O'Connell, CFA | The last 3-4 years, it has been a bit of a disappointment. Would be cautious at this price. They don't seem to be able to make a decision on which way they want to go. | 2007-01-25 | |
| TOP PICK | 49.450 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Nov 29/06. No change.) Sold his holdings, but now looking to buy it back. Likes both this and ManuLife (MFC-T), but Manulife is about 16 X earnings and this one is 13.4. Increasing exposure in India and China. | 2007-01-15 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 47.730 | Michael Sprung | (A Top Pick Oct 18/06. Up 4.5%.) Still likes and could have used it as a Top Pick again. Expanding internationally. 2.5% yield. Good price. | 2007-01-05 | |
| Comment | 49.730 | Norman Levine | Has been a laggard in the life insurance business because of its problems with its US MSF holdings. Prefers Manufacturers Life (MFC-T). | 2006-12-05 | |
| TOP PICK | 49.040 | Peter Brieger | (A Top Pick Sept 26/06. Up 4.7%.) Cheap. Its money management firm in the US will be a terrific asset down the road. Very active in China and India, which is a very safe way for investors to participate in emerging markets. | 2006-11-29 | |
| BUY | 48.420 | Alex Ruus | Lower multiple than its peers. Their US MFS holdings have gone through a rocky period. Good long term investment. | 2006-11-22 | |
| BUY | 48.220 | James Cole, BA, CFA | Pays a steady and rising dividend. The “Rodney Dangerfield” of life and health insurance. No respect. A significant and growing presence in Asia. Good value. | 2006-11-13 | |
| HOLD | 47.860 | Chyanne Fickes | Likes the company, but it's not that far off its high. Still have an issue with net redemptions. Basic business still looks pretty good. | 2006-11-06 | |
| DON'T BUY | 44.500 | Laura Wallace | Have just announced they are going to keep their US mutual fund. There is also worry the earnings will be a little weaker than expected. Would wait for 3-6 months to see what their strategy will be. | 2006-10-24 | |
| SELL | 44.740 | David Baskin | Prefers others. | 2006-10-23 | |
| TOP PICK | 45.750 | Michael Sprung | Has been largely overlooked relative to Manulife (MFC-T). Could earn $3.50 this year and close to $4 next year. Management is taking steps to surface some of that value for shareholders by clearing up their US asset MFS. ROE has been consistently improving the last number of quarters and is currently over 13%. | 2006-10-18 | |
| TOP PICK | 45.260 | Peter Brieger | Technically, the Manulife (MFC-T) chart looks stronger, but this is statistically cheaper by about 1.5 times and has a better yield. International growth. An inexpensive, low risk way to play the Asian markets. | 2006-10-16 | |
| BUY | 45.440 | Robert Floyd | Banks have had a big move, so you could play the life insurance companies at this time. | 2006-10-13 | |
| DON'T BUY | 45.590 | Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc | Has had problems with their US financial services assets. He has reduced his holdings over the last year or so. Most of their areas are not growing. | 2006-10-10 | |
| TOP PICK | 46.250 | Bruce Campbell | Although the numbers and growth aren’t as good as Manulife (MFC-T), it is an action oriented pick. They are shopping MFS, their US mutual fund arm and a really good deal could create $4/5 of value. Also expects 6/8% beyond that which could total 20% return. | 2006-10-05 | |
| Comment | 46.670 | Paul Harris, CFA | Very interesting at these levels. Have had a lot of management turnover, which could be good. Trades at about 15 X earnings. Own a very large mutual fund complex in the US and think they will do something about this. Have a lot of cash. | 2006-10-04 | |
| DON'T BUY | 46.100 | John O'Connell, CFA | Has had some problems and management has not been that responsive. Wouldn't buy at this price. Would consider at $42. | 2006-10-03 | |
| TOP PICK | 46.810 | Peter Brieger | It has had a few short term problems over the last year. ( lost a few good managers ) It is cheaper than Manulife. Believes that it should be part of everyones long-term portfolio. | 2006-09-26 | |
| TOP PICK | 45.830 | Michael Sprung | Has good earnings profile. Management has just taken steps for alternatives with their US funds to surface some of the underlying values. | 2006-09-19 | |
| HOLD | 45.040 | Bruce Campbell | Mostly Canadian with a little bit UK and Asia. Stock has moved lately based on rumours they are going to do something with their US mutual fund holdings. | 2006-09-11 | |
| BUY | 45.320 | Norman Levine | Canada's 2nd largest life insurance company. Has under performed its peers, mainly because of their very large US operation, Massachusetts Financial, a very large mutual fund company with poor results in the last few years. You can own as a turnaround story. Prefers Manufacturers (MFC-T). | 2006-09-05 | |
| BUY | 45.520 | Chyanne Fickes | Earnings where a little disappointing. Likes the company. Under performed Manulife (MFC-T) quite a bit so could do a little catch up. If they could spin out the US assets, this could add quite a bit of value to the company. | 2006-08-31 | |
| DON'T BUY | 44.800 | John O'Connell, CFA | Have had a lot of problems with their US mutual fund with huge redemptions, big fine a year ago, etc. Also a big holder of CI Funds. If you strip out those 2, they still have a lot of problems in their insurance division compared to others. | 2006-08-25 | |
| HOLD | 45.100 | Norman Levine | His favourite life insurance is Manufacturers (MFC-T) but this is also a great company. | 2006-08-22 | |
| PAST TOP PICK | 45.550 | Peter Gibson | (A Top Pick Aug 5/05. Up 0.1%.) Since it was recommended, its profitability has deteriorated. Fundamentals are not as appealing now. | 2006-08-18 | |
| DON'T BUY | 45.400 | Jonathen Wellum, B. Comm, B. Sc | Prefers Manulife (MFC-T) in terms of quality. Their large mutual fund complex in the US is losing money. Their US life insurance business is not growing very quickly. Have had turnover in executive ranks. | 2006-08-17 | |
| TOP PICK | 42.820 | Peter Brieger | Yield of 2.48%. Very cheap. | 2006-08-14 | |
| DON'T BUY | 42.820 | Laura Wallace | Has the unfortunate distinction of being the worst performing of the major diversified financials in Canada. Its problem is its US mutual fund subsidiary, MFS. Better opportunities in the financial sector. | 2006-08-14 | |
| TOP PICK | 42.050 | Gavin Graham | Got whacked when they came out with earnings and growth of 7% and the CFO resigned. Life insurance is one of the most profitable businesses. Has international exposure. Had problems with its mutual fund handling which is behind it now. Good price. | 2006-08-10 | |
Experts that have talked about Sunlife Financial
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