Acquisitions expand risk for GWO

Article Excerpt

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $34 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; shares outstanding: 988.7 million; Market cap: $33.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 4.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s second-largest insurance company, after Manulife Financial (Toronto symbol MFC). It also offers mutual funds and wealth management services. Power Financial (Toronto symbol PWF) owns 67.6% of the company. For an undisclosed sum, Great-West has now agreed to buy U.S.based EverWest Real Estate Partnership LLC. That firm’s $2 billion portfolio includes office, industrial and multi-residential buildings. Great-West will purchase EverWest through GWL Realty. GWL manages more than $12 billion in real estate assets, which pension funds and other institutional clients can invest in. GWL believes that those clients are now looking to diversify their real estate holdings in the U.S. The company has also completed its acquisition of U.K.-based Retirement Advantage. Great-West has yet to reveal how much it paid for the private firm, which offers retirement planning, annuities…