<div id="readability-page-1"><p>American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of  Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC - Free Report) <span>TSE: MFC<span></span></span> by 15.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  owned 1,005,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 138,016 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.06% of Manulife Financial worth $31,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Manulife Financial</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>5 Undervalued Stocks To Secure Your High Yield Portfolio</li></ul><p>Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in  Manulife Financial by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter.  AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in  Manulife Financial by 179.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 28,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 18,222 shares in the last quarter.  Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of  Manulife Financial by 18.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 56,418 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,757,000 after acquiring an additional 8,900 shares during the period.  Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of  Manulife Financial by 13.1% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,843 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares during the period.  Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its stake in shares of  Manulife Financial by 814.3% in the 2nd quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 6,399,999 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $204,544,000 after purchasing an additional 5,699,999 shares in the last quarter. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>Manulife Financial Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of NYSE:MFC opened at $33.65 on Friday. Manulife Financial Corp has a twelve month low of $25.92 and a twelve month high of $38.72. The firm has a market cap of $56.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a fifty day moving average of $36.75 and a 200-day moving average of $34.26. </p><ul><li>3 High Short Interest Stocks that Investors are Getting Wrong</li></ul><p>Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC - Get Free Report) <span>TSE: MFC<span></span></span> last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. Manulife Financial had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 16.43%. The business had revenue of $11.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS.  On average, analysts anticipate that  Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Manulife Financial Increases Dividend</h2><p>The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.485 dividend. This is a boost from Manulife Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. Manulife Financial's payout ratio is presently 63.96%. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley  set a $51.00 target price on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Manulife Financial from a &#34;buy (a-)&#34; rating to a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised shares of Manulife Financial from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets  reaffirmed an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Scotiabank  reiterated an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued  a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Manulife Financial currently has an average rating of &#34;Buy&#34; and an average target price of $51.50.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Research Report on MFC</b></p><h2>Manulife Financial Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Manulife Financial Corporation is a multinational insurance and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in the late 19th century as The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, Manulife provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual and institutional clients. Its core businesses include life and health insurance, retirement and pension solutions, wealth and asset management, and group benefits.  </p><p>In wealth and asset management, Manulife operates through Manulife Investment Management and offers mutual funds, segregated funds, institutional asset management, and retirement plan solutions.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Manulife Financial</li><li>“I just bought 10,000 shares of a $5 stock…”</li><li>How JPMorgan's $8,000 Gold Call Will Leave Most Retirement Accounts Behind</li><li>Silver Is the New Oil—And the World’s Running Dry</li><li>SpaceX IPO Confirmed: Claim Your Stake Today</li><li>What central banks are doing with gold right now</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1GQw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1GQw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Manulife Financial Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Manulife Financial, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Manulife Financial wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Manulife Financial currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Manulife Financial Corp by 15.9% in Q3, acquiring an additional 138,016 shares, bringing its total to 1,005,673 shares valued at $31.33 million. Other investors also raised their stakes, with institutional ownership at 52.56%. Manulife's stock opened at $33.65, with a market cap of $56.42 billion. The company recently announced a dividend increase to $0.485 per share, with a yield of 5.8%. Analysts have a positive outlook, with an average target price of $51.50.</p>

American Century Companies Inc. Acquires 138,016 Shares of Manulife Financial Corp $MFC