Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Short Interest Down 63.1% in February

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,215,302 shares, a decline of 63.1% from the January 29th total of 8,718,062 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 831,086 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 831,086 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Compound Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 8,555 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Bank Of Montreal during the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in Bank Of Montreal by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 7,816 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Bank Of Montreal by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 3,724 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 52,635 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,831,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Bank Of Montreal

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank Of Montreal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: BMO reported record revenue and profit with EPS above consensus, driven by stronger-than-expected revenue (helping justify fundamentals and dividend/capital return capacity). Bank of Montreal (BMO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Earnings and Strategic Optimizations
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call/transcript confirms the beat and management commentary: call details reinforce the beat and strategic actions cited by analysts, supporting near-term earnings visibility. Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and valuation checks: coverage notes the solid quarter but asks whether valuation and capital-return plans materially change the investment case — this keeps price action mixed as investors reassess forward multiples. Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO) Valuation Check After Record Revenue And Profit Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital returns narrative under review: commentary asks whether buybacks/dividends or capital allocation shifts change the story for investors — potentially supportive if management turns more aggressive, but not yet a clear catalyst. Did BMO’s Q1 Profit Beat and Capital Returns Just Shift Bank of Montreal’s (TSX:BMO) Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer survey: a BMO survey finds many Canadians think a new retirement target is unattainable — this highlights longer‑term consumer savings pressure that could affect wealth-management flows over time. Posthaste: Canadians’ new retirement savings goal of $1.7 million looks increasingly unattainable, BMO survey finds
• Negative Sentiment: Private credit market concerns: a BMO senior equity analyst warns that stress in private credit is spooking markets — risk-off sentiment in credit can pressure financial stocks and lift volatility, likely the main driver of today’s share weakness despite the quarter. BMO’s Brennan Hawkin talks private credit fears spooking the markets

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial raised Bank Of Montreal from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Monday, December 29th. TD Securities upgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank Of Montreal has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

Bank Of Montreal Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of BMO stock traded down $4.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,203,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 816,124. Bank Of Montreal has a one year low of $85.40 and a one year high of $149.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $137.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $129.35. The company has a market cap of $101.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.16. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 12.18%. The business had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Bank Of Montreal’s payout ratio is currently 56.56%.

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.