Certuity LLC Takes Position in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO)

Certuity LLC purchased a new stake in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,850 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $381,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BMO. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 192.1% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 333 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new stake in Bank of Montreal during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 63.5% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 515 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Bank of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 45.82% of the company’s stock.

Bank of Montreal Price Performance

Shares of BMO stock opened at $89.63 on Thursday. Bank of Montreal has a 12 month low of $73.98 and a 12 month high of $100.12. The company has a market capitalization of $65.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $93.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The bank reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.34). Bank of Montreal had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 7.40%. The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Bank of Montreal will post 8.94 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.1172 per share. This represents a $4.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.99%. This is an increase from Bank of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 26th. Bank of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BMO. StockNews.com raised Bank of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Bank of Montreal in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Bank of Montreal in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.00.

About Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. It operates through Canadian P&C, U.S P&C, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. The company's personal banking products and services include deposits, mortgages, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products.