Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Twelve analysts give BMO a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (1 sell, 6 hold, 3 buy, 2 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $163.00.
• BMO topped expectations in the latest quarter with EPS of $2.51 versus $2.35 expected and revenue of $7.21 billion (up 6% YoY), and analysts forecast about 10.2 EPS for the fiscal year.
• The bank declared a quarterly dividend of $1.67 (annualized $6.68), implying a 4.4% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of April 29 and a payout ratio around 56.6%.

Shares of Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on 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.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Securities raised Bank Of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Bank Of Montreal from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Zacks Research raised Bank Of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Bank Of Montreal from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th.

Bank Of Montreal Price Performance

BMO opened at $151.41 on Wednesday. Bank Of Montreal has a 12-month low of $93.77 and a 12-month high of $154.48. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $142.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.77. The company has a market capitalization of $106.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.92.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Bank Of Montreal will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank Of Montreal Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BMO. Canerector Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 18,035.0% in the third quarter. Canerector Inc. now owns 22,668,750 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,952,605,000 after purchasing an additional 22,543,750 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the fourth quarter worth about $1,059,320,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Bank Of Montreal by 10.3% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 19,079,026 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,486,691,000 after acquiring an additional 1,789,188 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Bank Of Montreal by 74.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,817,406 shares of the bank's stock valued at $495,461,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in Bank Of Montreal by 155.3% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,127,377 shares of the bank's stock valued at $277,091,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294,169 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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