Their new businesses will lift your dividends

Article Excerpt

These top Canadian insurers continue to use acquisitions to expand into new markets and to enhance their current businesses. That bodes well for investors, as the additional earnings should lead to more and higher dividend increases. MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP. $26 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol MFC; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $46.8 billion; Dividend yield: 5.6%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.manulife.ca) is Canada’s largest life insurer. It also sells other forms of insurance, including health, dental and travel plans; its mutual funds and investment management services further diversify its revenue stream. The company is also a leading insurer in Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Manulife last raised its quarterly dividend with the March 2023 payment. Investors now receive $0.365 a share, up 11.0% from $0.33. The annual dividend rate of $1.46 yields a high 5.6%. The company also intends to repurchase up to 3% of its outstanding shares over the next year. On March 31, 2023, the…