Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Bank Of Montreal $BMO

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) by 6,300.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 479,492 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 472,000 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Bank Of Montreal were worth $62,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 466.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 238 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 669.6% during the fourth quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 354 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.82% of the company’s stock.

Bank Of Montreal Stock Up 0.9%

BMO stock opened at $161.10 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Bank Of Montreal has a 1-year low of $102.70 and a 1-year high of $161.55. The stock has a market cap of $112.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.94.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.16. Bank Of Montreal had a return on equity of 12.16% and a net margin of 11.76%.The business had revenue of $7.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Bank Of Montreal will post 11.56 EPS for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. Bank Of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BMO. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research cut Bank Of Montreal from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Bank Of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bank Of Montreal presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

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.