Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Get Free Report) TSE: BMO shares saw strong trading volume on Monday . 442,971 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the previous session's volume of 547,868 shares.The stock last traded at $95.69 and had previously closed at $99.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BMO has been the topic of several research reports. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com cut Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. CIBC raised Bank of Montreal from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Scotiabank raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $133.00 to $161.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank of Montreal has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $128.00.

Bank of Montreal Trading Up 1.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $72.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company's fifty day moving average price is $98.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.97.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.1329 per share. This represents a $4.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.54%. This is a boost from Bank of Montreal's previous quarterly dividend of $1.12. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Bank of Montreal's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Bank of Montreal by 179.5% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 313 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 282.8% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 333 shares of the bank's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bank of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Bank of Montreal during the third quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Bank of Montreal by 244.1% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 554 shares of the bank's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. 45.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.