Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $163.00.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. National Bank Financial downgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. TD Securities upgraded Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Friday, January 9th.

Bank Of Montreal Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE BMO opened at $143.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 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. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.87. Bank Of Montreal has a 1 year low of $85.40 and a 1 year high of $146.35.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The bank reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a return on equity of 11.76% and a net margin of 11.13%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This is a boost from Bank Of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Bank Of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.68%.

Institutional Trading of Bank Of Montreal

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BMO. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Bank Of Montreal in the third quarter valued at $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Bank Of Montreal by 466.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 238 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.82% of the company’s stock.

About Bank Of Montreal

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.