Two Sigma Advisers LP Takes Position in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY)

Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Free Report) TSE: RY in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 28,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,398,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada during the fourth quarter worth about $2,425,519,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,382,278 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,027,061,000 after purchasing an additional 1,991,364 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 1,600.9% during the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 1,427,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $166,084,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343,174 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,183,549 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,136,056,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104,975 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Royal Bank of Canada by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,112,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,338,156,000 after acquiring an additional 921,276 shares during the period. 45.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank began coverage on Royal Bank of Canada in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating on the stock. CIBC reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Bank of Canada in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, National Bank Financial lowered Royal Bank of Canada from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.50.

Royal Bank of Canada Trading Up 1.3%

RY traded up $1.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $126.66. 1,359,802 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,134,117. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.89. Royal Bank of Canada has a 1-year low of $102.44 and a 1-year high of $129.46. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $118.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

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

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

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

About Royal Bank of Canada

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.