Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Bank of Montreal has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from nine analysts, with an average price target of $163.00.
• The bank's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $2.33, exceeding expectations of $2.12, although revenue fell short at $6.51 billion against the anticipated $8.84 billion.
• Bank of Montreal will pay a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share on November 26th, up from its previous dividend of $1.18, reflecting a dividend yield of 5.2%.

Shares of Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $163.00.

BMO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Wednesday, August 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $168.00 to $163.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, CIBC upgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th.

Bank Of Montreal Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BMO opened at $125.60 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $122.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Bank Of Montreal has a 1 year low of $85.40 and a 1 year high of $131.36.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 26th. The bank reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.84 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.00% and a return on equity of 10.57%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank Of Montreal Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. This is a boost from Bank Of Montreal's previous quarterly dividend of $1.18. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 30th. Bank Of Montreal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.63%.

Institutional Trading of Bank Of Montreal

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in Bank Of Montreal by 3.5% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,756 shares of the bank's stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Bank Of Montreal by 40.0% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the bank's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Bank Of Montreal by 4.5% in the second quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,616 shares of the bank's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Bank Of Montreal by 3.7% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 3,283 shares of the bank's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Bank Of Montreal by 2.6% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,717 shares of the bank's stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank Of Montreal Company Profile

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.

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