Great-West Lifeco (OTCMKTS:GWLIF – Get Free Report) and Prudential (NYSE:PUK – Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and risk.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Great-West Lifeco and Prudential’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Great-West Lifeco | N/A | N/A | N/A | $2.60 | 11.75 |
| Prudential | $26.50 billion | 1.16 | $998.00 million | N/A | N/A |
Prudential has higher revenue and earnings than Great-West Lifeco.
Dividends
Profitability
This table compares Great-West Lifeco and Prudential’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Great-West Lifeco | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Prudential | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
11.8% of Great-West Lifeco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.9% of Prudential shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Prudential shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Great-West Lifeco and Prudential, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Great-West Lifeco | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Prudential | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.00 |
Great-West Lifeco presently has a consensus target price of $35.82, suggesting a potential upside of 16.97%. Given Great-West Lifeco’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Great-West Lifeco is more favorable than Prudential.
Summary
Prudential beats Great-West Lifeco on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Great-West Lifeco
Great-West Lifeco Inc. engages in the life and health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, disability, critical illness, health and dental protection, and creditor insurance products; and retirement and wealth savings, income and annuity products, and other specialty products to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations. It also provides individual product solutions and employer-sponsored retirement savings plans that offers saving, investment, and advisory services; wealth and investment management, and related administrative function and distribution services; and investment products, including equity, fixed-income, absolute return and alternative strategies, hedge fund and other alternative strategies, model-based separately managed accounts, and model portfolios. In addition, the company offers bulk and individual payout annuities, equity release mortgages, life bonds, and retirement drawdown and pension products; savings and investments; and provides asset management services for pension schemes, insurance companies, wealth managers, fiduciary managers, and sovereign wealth funds, as well as third-party institutional clients. Further, it provides life, health, annuity/longevity, mortgage surety, and property catastrophe reinsurance products. The company offers its products under the Canada Life, Irish Life, Empower, Putnam Investments, and PanAgora brand names. It distributes its products through a network of sales force, brokers, consultants, advisors, third-party administrators, financial institutions, dealers, managing general agencies, financial planners, employee benefit consultants, banks, and multi-tied agents. The company was founded in 1891 and is based in Winnipeg, Canada. Great-West Lifeco Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Power Financial Corporation.
About Prudential
Prudential plc, through its subsidiaries, provides life and health insurance, and retirement and asset management solutions to individuals in Asia, and Africa. It offers health and protection, as well as non- participating savings products, such as protection and investment-linked products. The company also provides insurance against common critical illnesses; property and casualty; and tropical disease protection, such as dengue, malaria, and measles. The company was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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