Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as C$131.90 and last changing hands at C$130.43.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: TD Securities upgraded the stock to “strong buy,” while National Bank Financial and Raymond James raised their ratings to “outperform.” The consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of C$129.50.
• The bank reported C$2.28 in quarterly EPS on C$10.54 billion in revenue and increased its quarterly dividend to $1.14 per share, representing a 3.5% yield and a 58.04% payout ratio.

The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS - Get Free Report) NYSE: BNS's stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$131.90 and last traded at C$130.43, with a volume of 131504 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$129.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BNS shares. TD Securities raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$117.00 to C$129.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. National Bank Financial raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from C$128.00 to C$142.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Bank of America raised their target price on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$131.00 to C$134.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$137.00 to C$139.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of C$129.50.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of C$159.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.27. The company's fifty day simple moving average is C$125.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$113.49.

Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS - Get Free Report) NYSE: BNS last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 25th. The bank reported C$2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The business had revenue of C$10.54 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Bank of Nova Scotia will post 7.1286267 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were paid a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 7th. This is an increase from Bank of Nova Scotia's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Bank of Nova Scotia's payout ratio is currently 58.04%.

About Bank of Nova Scotia

Scotiabank's vision is to be our clients' most trusted financial partner and deliver sustainable, profitable growth. Guided by our purpose: 'for every future,' we help our clients, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products, and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With assets of approximately $1.5 trillion (as at January 31, 2026), Scotiabank is one of the largest banks in North America by assets, and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange TSX: BNS and New York Stock Exchange NYSE: BNS.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.