Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Decreases Position in Bank of Nova Scotia (The) (NYSE:BNS)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lessened its stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia (The) (NYSE:BNS - Free Report) TSE: BNS by 14.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 227,100 shares of the bank's stock after selling 38,100 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia were worth $10,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Bank of Nova Scotia by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,095,285 shares of the bank's stock worth $58,839,000 after acquiring an additional 77,820 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Bank of Nova Scotia by 54.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,629 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,216,000 after purchasing an additional 8,018 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,438 shares of the bank's stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia during the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, Americana Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,028,000. 49.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Performance

NYSE BNS traded down $0.11 on Thursday, hitting $54.30. 1,642,625 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,729,511. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $50.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.93. The firm has a market cap of $67.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.13. Bank of Nova Scotia has a fifty-two week low of $43.68 and a fifty-two week high of $57.07.

Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Get Free Report) TSE: BNS last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The bank reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $6.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.98 billion. Bank of Nova Scotia had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 8.83%. Bank of Nova Scotia's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Bank of Nova Scotia will post 4.91 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.7996 per share. This is an increase from Bank of Nova Scotia's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.89%. Bank of Nova Scotia's dividend payout ratio is presently 86.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BNS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Bank of Nova Scotia from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Bank of Nova Scotia from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Bank of Nova Scotia currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Bank of Nova Scotia Company Profile

The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets segments.