Head-To-Head Review: Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) and Baldwin Insurance Group (NASDAQ:BWIN)

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) and Baldwin Insurance Group (NASDAQ:BWIN) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

52.6% of Manulife Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.5% of Baldwin Insurance Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Manulife Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 20.1% of Baldwin Insurance Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Manulife Financial has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Baldwin Insurance Group has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Manulife Financial and Baldwin Insurance Group, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Manulife Financial	0	0	4	2	3.33
Baldwin Insurance Group	1	5	2	0	2.13

Manulife Financial presently has a consensus price target of $51.50, suggesting a potential upside of 35.24%. Baldwin Insurance Group has a consensus price target of $33.83, suggesting a potential upside of 72.88%. Given Baldwin Insurance Group’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Baldwin Insurance Group is more favorable than Manulife Financial.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Manulife Financial and Baldwin Insurance Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Manulife Financial	$38.90 billion	1.64	$4.11 billion	$2.25	16.92
Baldwin Insurance Group	$1.39 billion	1.67	-$24.52 million	($0.43)	-45.51

Manulife Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Baldwin Insurance Group. Baldwin Insurance Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Manulife Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Manulife Financial and Baldwin Insurance Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Manulife Financial	9.81%	16.11%	0.75%
Baldwin Insurance Group	-1.89%	12.65%	3.67%

Summary

Manulife Financial beats Baldwin Insurance Group on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment provides deposit and credit products; and individual life insurance, individual and group long-term care insurance, and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through multiple distribution channels, including insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in the property and casualty reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. The company also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, investment counseling and dealer, portfolio and mutual fund management, property and casualty insurance, and mutual fund dealer businesses. In addition, it provides integrated banking products and services. The company was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About Baldwin Insurance Group

The Baldwin Insurance Group, Inc. operates as an independent insurance distribution firm that delivers insurance and risk management solutions in the United States. It operates through three segments: Insurance Advisory Solutions; Underwriting, Capacity & Technology Solutions; and Mainstreet Insurance Solutions. The Insurance Advisory Solutions segment provides commercial risk management, employee benefits, and private risk management solutions for businesses and high-net-worth individuals, as well as their families. The Underwriting, Capacity & Technology Solutions segment offers Future platform, that manufactures technology-enabled insurance products suite comprises personal, commercial, and specialty lines; specialty wholesale broker business that delivers professionals, individuals, and niche industry businesses; and reinsurance brokerage services. The Mainstreet Insurance Solutions segment provides personal insurance, commercial insurance, and life and health solutions to individuals and businesses in communities. The company was formerly known as BRP Group, Inc. and changed its name to The Baldwin Insurance Group, Inc. in May 2024. The Baldwin Insurance Group, Inc. was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.