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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Bank of Nova Scotia logo
$88.43 +0.84 (+0.96%)
Closing price 10/9/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$88.42 -0.01 (-0.01%)
As of 10/9/2026 07:30 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Bank of Nova Scotia - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
4
Buy
6

Based on 10 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Bank of Nova Scotia in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 10 analysts, 4 have given a hold rating, 5 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for BNS.

Consensus Price Target

$105.50
19.31% Upside
According to the 10 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Bank of Nova Scotia, the average price target is $105.50. The highest price target for BNS is $117.00, while the lowest price target for BNS is $93.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 19.31% from the current price of $88.43.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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BNS Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
10/10/25 to 10/10/26
1 Month Ago
9/10/25 to 9/10/26
3 Months Ago
7/12/25 to 7/12/26
1 Year Ago
10/10/24 to 10/10/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
5 Buy rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
Hold
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$105.50$105.50$105.50$86.00
Forecasted Upside19.31% Upside13.68% Upside20.32% Upside35.60% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy

BNS Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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BNS Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock vs. The Competition

TypeBank of Nova ScotiaFinance CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.70
2.28
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside19.31% Upside38.30% Upside19.60% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Neutral News

See Recent BNS News
Positive News
Positive News
Report Date
0 Results
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
10/8/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
3 of 5 stars
 UpgradeBuy (A-) ➝ Buy (A)
8/26/2026
TD logo
TD
Not Rated
 UpgradeBuy
8/26/2026 UpgradeSector Perform ➝ Outperform
8/25/2026 UpgradeHold ➝ Buy
8/21/2026 Initiated CoverageOutperform
5/28/2026Boost TargetSector Perform$98.00 ➝ $117.00+46.61%
3/9/2026 DowngradeStrong-Buy ➝ Hold
2/25/2026 Reiterated RatingNeutral$108.00+22.13%
12/2/2025 Boost TargetMarket Perform$93.00+5.17%
11/25/2025 Initiated CoverageOutperform
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3/31/2025 DowngradeBuy ➝ Neutral
11/21/2024UpgradeUnderweight ➝ Equal Weight
11/18/2024UpgradeNeutral ➝ Buy

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 07:28 PM ET.


Should I Buy Bank of Nova Scotia Stock? BNS Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Monday, October 5, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Bank of Nova Scotia pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Bank of Nova Scotia
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in The Bank of Nova Scotia:

  • The stock is currently trading at $90.30, which is significantly below the consensus price target of $117.00 set by analysts, suggesting substantial upside potential for investors who believe the recent positive momentum will continue.
  • The company recently reported strong quarterly earnings on August 25, 2026, with earnings per share of $1.64 beating the consensus estimate of $1.53, and revenue of $7.52 billion exceeding the expected $7.11 billion, demonstrating robust financial performance and operational efficiency.
  • Analyst sentiment has shifted positively, with the consensus rating upgrading to "Moderate Buy" in September 2026, following several recent upgrades from firms like TD Securities and National Bank Financial, indicating growing institutional confidence in the bank's outlook.
  • The Bank of Nova Scotia offers a competitive dividend yield of 3.52%, providing a steady income stream for investors, supported by a payout ratio of 58.05% which suggests the dividend is sustainable relative to the company's earnings.
  • Recent news highlights strategic initiatives such as the pricing of Canada's first defense-linked bond and commitments to deploy over $250 billion in capital, signaling the bank's proactive approach to new market opportunities and its significant role in the broader financial ecosystem.

Bank of Nova Scotia
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in The Bank of Nova Scotia for these reasons:

  • Short interest in the stock increased by 65.9% in August 2026, reaching 12,148,829 shares, which indicates that a significant portion of traders are betting against the stock's price appreciation, potentially signaling underlying concerns about its valuation or future performance.
  • The stock has experienced a recent pullback, trading down from its 52-week high of $95.74 to the current price of $90.30, suggesting that the recent rally may be stalling and that investors are taking profits or reassessing their positions.
  • The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, which is relatively high for a bank, indicating a significant level of leverage that could amplify losses during economic downturns or periods of financial stress.
  • Despite recent upgrades, the consensus rating was "Hold" for much of the first half of 2026, and the price target only recently increased to $117.00, suggesting that the stock may have already priced in much of the positive news, leaving limited room for further upside in the near term.
  • The Bank of Nova Scotia faces potential headwinds from the Bank of Canada's expected return to rate hikes in December 2026, which could impact borrowing costs and consumer spending, potentially affecting the bank's loan growth and profitability.

BNS Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 10 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Bank of Nova Scotia is $105.50, with a high forecast of $117.00 and a low forecast of $93.00.

10 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Bank of Nova Scotia in the last year. There are currently 4 hold ratings, 5 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" BNS shares.

According to analysts, Bank of Nova Scotia's stock has a predicted upside of 19.31% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Bank of Nova Scotia's stock had 6 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Bank of Nova Scotia has been rated by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, National Bank Financial, TD, TD Securities, and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Bank of Nova Scotia more than other "finance" companies. The consensus rating for Bank of Nova Scotia is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "finance" companies is Hold. Learn more on how BNS compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Bank of Nova Scotia analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 10/8/2026.
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