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

Bank of Nova Scotia logo
C$127.97 +0.68 (+0.53%)
As of 01:41 PM Eastern

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

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
7
Buy
5

Based on 12 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 12 analysts, 7 have given a hold rating, 4 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for BNS.

Consensus Price Target

C$129.50
1.20% Upside
According to the 12 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Bank of Nova Scotia, the average price target is C$129.50. The highest price target for BNS is C$152.00, while the lowest price target for BNS is C$101.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 1.20% from the current price of C$127.97.
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
9/10/25 to 9/10/26
1 Month Ago
8/11/25 to 8/11/26
3 Months Ago
6/12/25 to 6/12/26
1 Year Ago
9/10/24 to 9/10/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
Hold
7 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price TargetC$129.50C$112.31C$110.77C$86.00
Forecasted Upside1.20% Upside-9.29% Downside-5.67% Downside-2.90% Downside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldHoldHold

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 Companies
Consensus Rating Score
2.50
2.28
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHold
News Sentiment Rating
Neutral News

See Recent BNS News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/3/2026 Boost TargetC$119.00 ➝ C$120.00-8.28%
9/3/2026 Boost TargetNeutralC$136.00 ➝ C$137.00+4.71%
9/2/2026
Desjardins logo
Desjardins
4 of 5 stars
 Set TargetHoldC$130.00+1.18%
8/26/2026 Boost TargetC$131.00 ➝ C$134.00+2.83%
8/26/2026 Boost TargetOutperformC$148.00 ➝ C$152.00+16.64%
8/26/2026 UpgradeHoldOutperformC$128.00 ➝ C$142.00+8.97%
8/26/2026 UpgradeHoldBuyC$124.00 ➝ C$141.00+8.20%
8/26/2026 Boost TargetSector PerformC$117.00 ➝ C$129.00-1.01%
8/26/2026 Boost TargetOutperformC$137.00 ➝ C$139.00+6.67%
8/26/2026 Boost TargetHoldC$121.00 ➝ C$127.00-2.54%
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8/25/2026 UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy
8/21/2026 Boost TargetC$110.00 ➝ C$130.00+7.62%
2/25/2026 Boost TargetC$118.00 ➝ C$120.00+16.20%
2/25/2026 Boost TargetMarket PerformC$98.00 ➝ C$101.00-2.20%
1/9/2025 Set TargetBuyC$82.00+10.11%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Thursday at 02:02 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 Tuesday, September 8, 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 $128.00, which is near its 52-week high of $131.72, indicating strong recent momentum and investor confidence in the bank's performance over the past year.
  • Analysts have recently upgraded their outlook, with TD Securities raising its rating to "strong-buy" and National Bank Financial moving to "outperform," reflecting a consensus shift toward a "Moderate Buy" rating that suggests potential for further price appreciation.
  • The bank reported strong quarterly results with earnings per share of $2.28 and revenue of $10.54 billion, demonstrating robust profitability with a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 11.41%.
  • Investors can benefit from a dividend yield of 3.52%, providing a steady income stream that is attractive for long-term holders seeking consistent cash flow from their equity investments.
  • With assets of approximately $1.5 trillion, The Bank of Nova Scotia is one of the largest banks in North America, offering significant scale and diversification across personal, commercial, and investment banking sectors.

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:

  • The stock price of $128.00 is below the average analyst price target of $129.50, and some firms like Jefferies Financial Group have set targets as low as $120.00, suggesting limited upside potential or even downside risk from current levels.
  • The company has a beta of 1.27, which is higher than the market average, meaning the stock is more volatile and may experience larger price swings during market downturns compared to less risky assets.
  • Despite recent upgrades, the consensus rating remains "Moderate Buy" rather than a stronger "Buy," indicating that many analysts still see the stock as fairly valued or slightly overvalued relative to its growth prospects.
  • The price-to-earnings ratio of 16.73 is relatively high for a bank, which could limit future returns if earnings growth does not accelerate to justify the current valuation multiple.
  • Recent insider activity includes sales by Julie Walsh in December 2025, which some investors may interpret as a signal of reduced confidence from company insiders in the stock's near-term performance.

BNS Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 12 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Bank of Nova Scotia is C$129.50, with a high forecast of C$152.00 and a low forecast of C$101.00.

12 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Bank of Nova Scotia in the last twelve months. There are currently 7 hold ratings, 4 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 1.20% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Bank of Nova Scotia's stock had 3 upgrades by analysts.

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 9/3/2026.
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