AJOVista LLC Takes Position in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS)

AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) (TSE:BNS) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 74,400 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $3,621,000. Bank of Nova Scotia accounts for 4.6% of AJOVista LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sprott Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia during the third quarter valued at about $146,907,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 15,684,313 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $665,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256,868 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,567,680 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,028,861,000 after purchasing an additional 736,807 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,691,098 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,083,057,000 after purchasing an additional 725,489 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 360.3% in the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 705,200 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,753,000 after buying an additional 551,992 shares in the last quarter. 49.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of BNS stock traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $46.85. 1,572,888 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,031,532. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a 1 year low of $39.79 and a 1 year high of $51.98. The firm has a market cap of $57.26 billion, a PE ratio of 10.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.53.

Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) (TSE:BNS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The bank reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.01 billion. Bank of Nova Scotia had a return on equity of 11.51% and a net margin of 10.71%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Bank of Nova Scotia will post 4.9 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.7843 per share. This is an increase from Bank of Nova Scotia’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 1st. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.70%. Bank of Nova Scotia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BNS shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of Nova Scotia presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $68.00.

Bank of Nova Scotia Company Profile

The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets segments.