More Irish gains for Great-West

Article Excerpt

GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $35 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 996.7 million; Market cap: $34.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is paying an undisclosed sum for the Irish operations of Legal & General Group plc. This business provides investment and tax-planning services to wealthy individuals. It looks like a nice fit with Irish Life, a leading insurance firm Great-West acquired in 2013. Thanks to Irish Life’s contribution and savings from eliminating duplicate functions, Great-West’s earnings jumped 34.7% in the three months ended December 31, 2014, to $0.66 a share from $0.49 a year earlier. Revenue rose 33.1%, to $10.7 billion from $8.1 billion. The company has also raised its quarterly dividend by 6.0%, to $0.3260 a share from $0.3075. The new annual rate of $1.30 yields 3.7%. Great-West is a buy. buy. …