Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $163.00.

BMO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial upgraded Bank Of Montreal from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays cut Bank Of Montreal from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, National Bank Financial restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th.

Bank Of Montreal Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of BMO stock opened at $151.41 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $142.65 and a 200 day moving average of $134.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $106.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.92. Bank Of Montreal has a twelve month low of $93.77 and a twelve month high of $154.48.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.73 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a return on equity of 12.16% and a net margin of 11.76%.Bank Of Montreal’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Bank Of Montreal will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Bank Of Montreal’s payout ratio is 56.56%.

Institutional Trading of Bank Of Montreal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 466.7% in 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 in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.