Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Hits New 1-Year High Following Dividend Announcement

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis 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 presently 59.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Bank Of Montreal Stock Performance

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 firm has a market capitalization of $105.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.02.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 12.18%. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Bank Of Montreal

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO beat consensus and reported record quarterly revenue across businesses, with management emphasizing strategic optimizations on the earnings call — this is the primary catalyst behind the stock strength. Bank of Montreal (BMO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Earnings and Strategic Optimizations
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and fee growth were broad-based across business lines, helping the quarter top estimates and supporting higher operating income expectations going forward. Bank of Montreal Q1 earnings benefit from strong revenue, fee growth across business lines
• Positive Sentiment: Credit quality trends improved: provisions for credit losses fell versus prior year, and reported/adjusted net income and ROE rose meaningfully — reducing a key risk overhang for the bank. BMO Financial Group Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly common dividend of $1.67 (annualized yield ~4.5%), unchanged from the prior quarter — supports income investors and signals capital return confidence. BMO Financial Group Declares Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest plunged (~63% month-over-month), reducing potential downside pressure and increasing the probability of a stronger price reaction to positive news. (Short-interest data referenced in filings/market data.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are re-checking valuation and debating whether the profit beat and capital-return stance shift BMO’s investment narrative — this could lead to revisions but is not yet a consensus view. Did BMO’s Q1 Profit Beat and Capital Returns Just Shift Bank of Montreal’s (TSX:BMO) Investment Narrative?
• Negative Sentiment: Common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio edged down modestly (13.1% vs. 13.6% prior year), which some capital-sensitive investors may view as a small negative for capital flexibility. Bank of Montreal Profit Rises With Lift in Revenue, Drop in Credit-Loss Provision

Institutional Trading of Bank Of Montreal

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Bank Of Montreal in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Bank Of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Bank Of Montreal by 466.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 238 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Bank Of Montreal Company Profile

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.