Versant Capital Management Inc Has $370,000 Holdings in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS)

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Free Report) TSE: BNS by 5,587.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,792 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 7,655 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia were worth $370,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Bank of Nova Scotia by 7.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 77,820 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new position in Bank of Nova Scotia in the 4th quarter worth approximately $292,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Bank of Nova Scotia by 98.6% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the bank's stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Bank of Nova Scotia by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,438 shares of the bank's stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in Bank of Nova Scotia in the 4th quarter worth approximately $219,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.13% of the company's stock.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Bank of Nova Scotia stock traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.34. 1,254,482 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,969,465. The company has a market cap of $66.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.13. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $49.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a 52 week low of $43.67 and a 52 week high of $57.07.

Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Get Free Report) TSE: BNS last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The bank reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.08). Bank of Nova Scotia had a net margin of 10.20% and a return on equity of 11.56%. The firm had revenue of $6.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.58 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The Bank of Nova Scotia will post 4.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.7996 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 2nd. This is a positive change from Bank of Nova Scotia's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.00%. Bank of Nova Scotia's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on BNS. CIBC reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cibc World Mkts downgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from $83.00 to $81.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of Nova Scotia currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.00.

About Bank of Nova Scotia

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.