Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) Shares Purchased by Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Free Report) TSE: RY by 32.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,837 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,837 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.'s holdings in Royal Bank of Canada were worth $2,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in Royal Bank of Canada in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 17,589 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 1,276 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 359,017 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $43,272,000 after acquiring an additional 22,290 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 14,142 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 4,306 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 8,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,059,000 after acquiring an additional 932 shares during the period. 45.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on RY. Cibc World Mkts raised Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. National Bank Financial downgraded Royal Bank of Canada from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Scotiabank started coverage on Royal Bank of Canada in a report on Thursday, May 15th. They set a "sector outperform" rating for the company. Finally, CIBC reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Bank of Canada in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Royal Bank of Canada presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.50.

Royal Bank of Canada Price Performance

NYSE:RY traded up $1.66 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $126.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,359,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,134,117. The business's 50-day moving average is $118.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.63. The company has a market capitalization of $179.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.33, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. Royal Bank of Canada has a 52-week low of $102.44 and a 52-week high of $129.46.

Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Get Free Report) TSE: RY last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by ($0.05). Royal Bank of Canada had a net margin of 12.08% and a return on equity of 15.26%. The firm had revenue of $11.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.92 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Royal Bank of Canada will post 9.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $1.1152 per share. This represents a $4.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. This is a boost from Royal Bank of Canada's previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Royal Bank of Canada's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.18%.

Royal Bank of Canada Company Profile

Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses.