Entropy Technologies LP Trims Stock Position in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO)

Entropy Technologies LP lessened its position in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Free Report) TSE: BMO by 76.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,030 shares of the bank's stock after selling 22,744 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Bank of Montreal were worth $682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMO. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of Montreal during the third quarter valued at $45,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 244.1% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 554 shares of the bank's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Bank of Montreal by 207.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 668 shares of the bank's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Bank of Montreal by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 680 shares of the bank's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Bank of Montreal Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BMO traded up $0.61 during trading on Friday, reaching $101.08. The stock had a trading volume of 392,733 shares, compared to its average volume of 554,264. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $98.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick 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 $104.63. The company has a market capitalization of $73.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.09.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.1329 per share. This is a positive change from Bank of Montreal's previous quarterly dividend of $1.12. This represents a $4.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Bank of Montreal's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BMO. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $133.00 to $161.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised Bank of Montreal from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. CIBC upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of Montreal has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.00.

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.