Sapient Capital LLC Takes Position in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO)

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,516 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. boosted its stake in shares of Bank of Montreal by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 486,421 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,219,000 after purchasing an additional 77,285 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bank of Montreal by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 726,141 shares of the bank’s stock worth $71,852,000 after buying an additional 82,900 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its holdings in shares of Bank of Montreal by 4.2% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 171,717 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,488,000 after buying an additional 6,901 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Bank of Montreal by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,622 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addenda Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of Montreal by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 848,655 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $83,966,000 after acquiring an additional 104,490 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.82% of the company’s stock.

Bank of Montreal Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BMO opened at $92.06 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $67.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Bank of Montreal has a twelve month low of $73.98 and a twelve month high of $100.12. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $90.79.

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The bank reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.34). Bank of Montreal had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 7.40%. The business had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Bank of Montreal will post 8.94 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Monday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.1172 per share. This represents a $4.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 26th. This is an increase from Bank of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.11. Bank of Montreal’s payout ratio is presently 41.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BMO shares. StockNews.com raised Bank of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Bank of Montreal in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Bank of Montreal in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.00.

About Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. It operates through Canadian P&C, U.S P&C, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. The company's personal banking products and services include deposits, mortgages, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products.