Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Sets New 12-Month High After Dividend Announcement

Shares of Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $149.01 and last traded at $148.0120, with a volume of 1315174 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $142.30.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. Bank Of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on BMO. National Bank Financial restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.00.

Bank Of Montreal Trading Up 4.0%

The firm has a market cap of $104.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $136.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.88.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The bank reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.13% and a return on equity of 11.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 EPS. Analysts forecast that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Bank Of Montreal

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank Of Montreal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations: adjusted EPS and net income rose double digits year-over-year and revenue came in above consensus, driven by record fee and markets revenue. This is the main catalyst lifting the stock. BMO Financial Group Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Credit-charge improvement: provision for credit losses fell meaningfully from the prior year and commentary/coverage suggests some improvement in commercial (truck) credit — supports higher earnings quality going forward. Bank of Montreal Profit Rises With Lift in Revenue, Drop in Credit-Loss Provision
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained: the board declared a quarterly common dividend of $1.67 (annualized yield ~4.5%), with an ex-dividend date of April 29 — supports income investors and signals capital return confidence. BMO Financial Group Declares Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest plunged (~63% decline to ~3.2M shares, ~0.5% of float; days-to-cover ~3.9) — reduces immediate short-squeeze risk and may have removed a technical headwind, but doesn’t change fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital ratios: CET1 dipped modestly to 13.1% from 13.6% — still healthy but worth monitoring if dividends/repurchases increase.
• Negative Sentiment: Credit quality remains a watch item: although PCLs fell, total provisions are still meaningful and analysts flag credit conditions (commercial lending) as a potential downside if macro stress reappears. Bank of Montreal earnings up next: Credit quality in focus

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank Of Montreal

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BMO. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 87.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,742 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. purchased a new position in Bank Of Montreal in the 2nd quarter valued at about $204,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,616 shares of the bank’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the 2nd quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the second quarter worth about $893,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.82% of the company’s stock.

About Bank Of Montreal

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO), commonly known as BMO Financial Group, is one of Canada’s largest and longest-established banks. Founded in Montreal and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, the bank provides a broad range of financial services to retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. BMO is publicly listed in both Canada and the United States and operates under a consolidated financial services model that integrates banking, capital markets, wealth management and asset management activities.

BMO’s core businesses include personal and commercial banking—offering checking and savings accounts, lending, mortgages, and small-business services—alongside wealth management and private banking through its asset and investment management divisions.