16,700 Shares in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) Acquired by AJOVista LLC

AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Free Report) TSE: RY during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,689,000. Royal Bank of Canada comprises 2.1% of AJOVista LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New raised its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 26,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,661,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Royal Bank of Canada by 4.4% in the third quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,008 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 7,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 4,168 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $364,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. 45.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Bank of Canada Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of RY stock traded up $1.95 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $101.17. 2,470,596 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,154,479. Royal Bank of Canada has a 52 week low of $77.90 and a 52 week high of $103.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.37. The company has a market capitalization of $143.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.74, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.86.

Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Get Free Report) TSE: RY last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.05. Royal Bank of Canada had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.43%. The firm had revenue of $9.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.10 billion. Analysts anticipate that Royal Bank of Canada will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 25th will be given a $1.0207 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 24th. This is a positive change from Royal Bank of Canada's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Royal Bank of Canada's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on RY shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Royal Bank of Canada in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Royal Bank of Canada in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Friday, April 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $137.67.

Royal Bank of Canada 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.