GWO cuts its costs

Article Excerpt

GREAT-WEST LIFECO $37.09 (Toronto symbol GWO; s/o: 986.4 million; Market cap: $36.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 4.0%; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s second-largest insurance company, after Manulife Financial (Toronto symbol MFC). It also offers mutual funds, retirement planning and wealth management services. The company has announced a cost-cutting plan for its Canadian operations. That strategy includes shrinking its workforce by 13% over the next two years and selling some real estate. Great-West also aims to sell more of its products online. The company expects severance payments and other costs will reduce its earnings in the second quarter of 2017 by $127 million, or $0.13 a share. To put that cost in context, it earned $2.6 billion, or $2.67 a share, in 2016. However, Great-West expects its restructuring to cut $200 million from its annual expenses, starting in 2019. Great-West Lifeco is a hold. hold…