Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) (NYSE:BMO) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$146.85.

BMO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$154.00 to C$165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Bank of Montreal from C$160.00 to C$159.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada set a C$163.00 price objective on Bank of Montreal and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. National Bankshares dropped their target price on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$161.00 to C$144.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Desjardins increased their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$147.00 to C$155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bank of Montreal news, Senior Officer Nadim Hirji sold 3,238 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$148.87, for a total value of C$482,024.87. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Bank of Montreal Price Performance

Shares of BMO opened at C$129.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of C$93.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.16. Bank of Montreal has a one year low of C$109.02 and a one year high of C$151.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is C$137.85 and its 200 day moving average price is C$136.34.

Bank of Montreal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $1.59 dividend. This represents a $6.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 29th. Bank of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.20%.

Bank of Montreal Company Profile

Bank of Montreal is a diversified financial-services provider based in North America, operating four business segments: Canadian personal and commercial banking, U.S. P&C banking, wealth management, and capital markets.