Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) Shares Sold by Bfsg LLC

Bfsg LLC lessened its position in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) (TSE:RY) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 615 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Royal Bank of Canada were worth $3,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of RY. Cigna Investments Inc. New raised its stake in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 26,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,661,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 4.4% during the third quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Royal Bank of Canada by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 7,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 4,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on RY. StockNews.com lowered Royal Bank of Canada from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised Royal Bank of Canada from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Friday, April 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on Royal Bank of Canada in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Royal Bank of Canada in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.67.

Royal Bank of Canada Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RY traded down $0.51 on Thursday, reaching $96.76. 165,699 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,232,313. The company has a fifty day moving average of $99.11 and a 200-day moving average of $94.61. Royal Bank of Canada has a twelve month low of $77.90 and a twelve month high of $103.88. The company has a market capitalization of $136.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) (TSE:RY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $9.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.10 billion. Royal Bank of Canada had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 14.74%. On average, research analysts predict that Royal Bank of Canada will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 25th will be given a $1.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 24th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.22%. This is a positive change from Royal Bank of Canada’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Royal Bank of Canada’s payout ratio is 25.31%.

Royal Bank of Canada Company Profile

Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses.