The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that National Bank Financial analyst Gabriel Dechaine has reaffirmed his "outperform" recommendation for Sagicor Financial. The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Dechaine gave his share target a $1.50 boost to $11. Analysts on average target the shares at $10.06. With the release of stronger-than-anticipated fourth quarter 2024 results, Mr. Dechaine thinks Sagicor Financial enjoyed a "solid overall finish to the year." On Thursday, the Barbados-based financial services company reported core earnings per share for the period of 20 cents, exceeding both the analyst's 16-cent forecast and the consensus estimate on the Street. The beat was driven by higher-than-expected investment earnings and lower expenses and financing costs. While Sagicor saw its U.S. fixed annuity sales dip, Mr. Dechaine is predicting a rebound alongside the firm's stronger earnings guidance for 2025. Mr. Dechaine says in a note: "For fiscal 2025, Sagicor expects core earnings of $100-million to $108-million and core EPS (basic) of 74 cents to 80 cents, which implies a roughly 18-per-cent growth rate at the mid-point (and 17 per cent above our prior estimate)."