Analysts Set Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) PT at $128.40

Shares of Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $128.40.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BMO shares. StockNews.com upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Bank of Montreal from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. CIBC upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th.

Bank of Montreal Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:BMO traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $101.75. 573,247 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 619,511. The company has a market cap of $74.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $99.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Bank of Montreal has a one year low of $76.98 and a one year high of $106.00.

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The bank reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $1.36. Bank of Montreal had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 10.18%. The business had revenue of $9.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.56 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 20.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Bank of Montreal will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Montreal Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.1094 per share. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. Bank of Montreal's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of Montreal during the 4th quarter worth $346,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in Bank of Montreal by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 12,215,628 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,184,636,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630,962 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in Bank of Montreal by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,958 shares of the bank's stock worth $772,000 after purchasing an additional 2,481 shares in the last quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of Montreal by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,422 shares of the bank's stock valued at $817,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Bank of Montreal during the fourth quarter worth about $165,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.82% of the company's stock.

Bank of Montreal Company Profile

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.