Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO - Get Free Report) NYSE: BMO has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$149.31.

BMO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. National Bankshares upped their price objective on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$153.00 to C$161.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. CIBC increased their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$154.00 to C$156.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Desjardins increased their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$147.00 to C$155.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$140.00 to C$155.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$145.00 to C$152.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In other news, Senior Officer Nadim Hirji sold 3,238 shares of Bank of Montreal stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$148.87, for a total transaction of C$482,024.87. Also, 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 value of C$1,601,592.91. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Bank of Montreal Trading Down 2.2 %

TSE:BMO traded down C$3.29 on Friday, reaching C$144.18. The stock had a trading volume of 3,518,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,166,940. The company has a 50-day moving average of C$142.66 and a 200 day moving average of C$131.91. The stock has a market cap of C$104.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.16. Bank of Montreal has a 12-month low of C$109.02 and a 12-month high of C$151.08.

Bank of Montreal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.59 per share. This represents a $6.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. Bank of Montreal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.20%.

Bank of Montreal Company Profile

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.