Bank of Nova Scotia Decreases Stake in Royal Bank Of Canada $RY

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia cut its position in Royal Bank of Canada by 9.7% in Q3, selling 1,602,202 shares and now holds 14,994,943 shares (about 1.07% of RBC) valued at roughly $2.21 billion, making it Scotiabank's fourth‑largest holding.
• RBC beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $2.94 (vs. $2.81 est.) and revenue of $13.18B (vs. $12.60B), and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 ($6.56 annualized) for an approximate yield of 4.1%.
• Analysts' consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with a target price of $162.00 (11 Buys, 3 Holds), though recent notes show mixed ratings and some near‑term caution.

Bank of Nova Scotia cut its position in Royal Bank Of Canada (NYSE:RY - Free Report) TSE: RY by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,994,943 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,602,202 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank Of Canada comprises 3.9% of Bank of Nova Scotia's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Bank of Nova Scotia owned about 1.07% of Royal Bank Of Canada worth $2,210,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Royal Bank Of Canada by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,104,668 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $162,740,000 after purchasing an additional 38,819 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Royal Bank Of Canada by 7.9% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 266,980 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,332,000 after buying an additional 19,587 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Royal Bank Of Canada by 2,736.5% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 85,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $12,539,000 after buying an additional 82,095 shares in the last quarter. Credit Agricole S A bought a new stake in Royal Bank Of Canada during the third quarter valued at $3,301,000. Finally, Qtron Investments LLC boosted its stake in Royal Bank Of Canada by 3.1% during the third quarter. Qtron Investments LLC now owns 22,825 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,365,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the period. 45.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on RY. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Royal Bank Of Canada from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. National Bank Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Bank Of Canada in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research lowered Royal Bank Of Canada from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Royal Bank Of Canada in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Bank Of Canada in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.00.

Royal Bank Of Canada Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE RY opened at $161.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $168.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.90. Royal Bank Of Canada has a twelve month low of $106.10 and a twelve month high of $176.19. The company has a market capitalization of $225.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.79.

Royal Bank Of Canada (NYSE:RY - Get Free Report) TSE: RY last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $13.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.60 billion. Royal Bank Of Canada had a return on equity of 17.12% and a net margin of 15.28%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.62 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Royal Bank Of Canada will post 9.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Bank Of Canada Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 23rd. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Royal Bank Of Canada's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.93%.

More Royal Bank Of Canada News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst consensus remains constructive — brokerages give RY an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” supporting medium‑term demand for the shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results (reported Feb. 26) showed an earnings beat and revenue upside (EPS $2.94 vs. $2.81 est.; revenue $13.18B vs. $12.60B), which is supportive of fundamentals and dividend coverage. (Background filing)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal highlighted in recent coverage — Zacks profiles RY as an attractive dividend stock for income investors, which can underpin demand from yield‑focused holders. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/attractiveness debate continues — recent analyst pieces and market commentary ask whether RY remains attractive after multi‑year gains, suggesting mixed views that can limit directional conviction. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term price weakness and underperformance reported — MarketWatch notes RY underperformed the market on Thursday, reflecting either profit‑taking after recent gains or sector‑wide headwinds that weighed on the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/flow pressure — intraday volume is below average, the stock has slipped below its 50‑day moving average (~$169) (short‑term bearish signal), though it remains near/above the 200‑day (~$158) which limits a deeper technical sell signal. (Background data)

Royal Bank Of Canada Profile

Royal Bank of Canada NYSE: RY is a diversified financial services company and one of Canada's largest banks. Founded in 1864 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the firm is now headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. It provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individuals, businesses, and institutional clients through a network of branches, digital platforms and international offices.

RBC operates across several principal business segments including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor and treasury services, capital markets, and global asset management.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Royal Bank Of Canada (NYSE:RY - Free Report) TSE: RY.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.