Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) (NYSE:BMO) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$131.33.

BMO has been the subject of several analyst reports. National Bankshares raised their price objective on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$127.00 to C$148.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Bank of Montreal from C$118.00 to C$106.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$143.00 to C$148.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Desjardins dropped their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$125.00 to C$120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, TD Securities lifted their target price on Bank of Montreal from C$114.00 to C$131.00 in a report on Friday, November 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bank of Montreal news, Director William Darryl White sold 11,376 shares of Bank of Montreal stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$140.79, for a total transaction of C$1,601,592.91. Also, Senior Officer David Robert Casper sold 12,819 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$121.85, for a total transaction of C$1,562,007.97. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bank of Montreal Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of TSE:BMO opened at C$138.84 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of C$101.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$132.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$122.50. Bank of Montreal has a twelve month low of C$109.02 and a twelve month high of C$147.54.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.59 per share. This represents a $6.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. This is a boost from Bank of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.55. Bank of Montreal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.35%.

About Bank of Montreal

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.