Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $163.00.

Several research firms have commented on BMO. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Bank Of Montreal in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, TD Securities restated a “hold” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, December 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank Of Montreal

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 41.4% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,715 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 1,088 shares during the last quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Bank Of Montreal during the fourth quarter worth $121,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in Bank Of Montreal by 43.4% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 15,553 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 4,704 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Bank Of Montreal during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,714 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank Of Montreal Trading Down 0.7%

BMO stock opened at $137.72 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Bank Of Montreal has a 1-year low of $85.40 and a 1-year high of $139.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.24.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The bank reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.13% and a return on equity of 11.76%. Bank Of Montreal’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank Of Montreal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is a positive change from Bank Of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Bank Of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.35%.

Bank Of Montreal Company Profile

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO), commonly known as BMO Financial Group, is one of Canada’s largest and longest-established banks. Founded in Montreal and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, the bank provides a broad range of financial services to retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. BMO is publicly listed in both Canada and the United States and operates under a consolidated financial services model that integrates banking, capital markets, wealth management and asset management activities.

BMO’s core businesses include personal and commercial banking—offering checking and savings accounts, lending, mortgages, and small-business services—alongside wealth management and private banking through its asset and investment management divisions.