North Star Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in Bank Of Montreal $BMO

North Star Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 8,099 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $1,431,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BMO. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in Bank Of Montreal during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Bank Of Montreal in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Bank Of Montreal by 466.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 238 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Bank Of Montreal during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Bank Of Montreal during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. 45.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BMO. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce downgraded Bank Of Montreal from a “sector outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Desjardins reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank Of Montreal currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

Bank Of Montreal Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:BMO opened at $172.16 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $177.91 and a 200 day moving average of $159.32. The company has a market cap of $120.02 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Bank Of Montreal has a 12-month low of $118.47 and a 12-month high of $187.22.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The bank reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $7.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.98 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 13.60%. The company’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bank Of Montreal will post 10.55 EPS for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 26th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Bank Of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.29%.

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.