Q1 EPS Estimates for Bank of Montreal Lowered by Desjardins

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Free Report) TSE: BMO - Equities researchers at Desjardins reduced their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Bank of Montreal in a research report issued on Tuesday, February 4th. Desjardins analyst D. Young now expects that the bank will post earnings of $1.68 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.74. The consensus estimate for Bank of Montreal's current full-year earnings is $7.76 per share.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $133.00 to $161.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. CIBC raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $128.00.

Bank of Montreal Price Performance

NYSE BMO traded up $1.25 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $99.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 367,055 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,719. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average is $98.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Bank of Montreal has a 1-year low of $76.98 and a 1-year high of $104.63.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank of Montreal

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 261.6% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 4,249,552 shares of the bank's stock valued at $383,449,000 after purchasing an additional 3,074,389 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of Bank of Montreal by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 11,812,353 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,065,474,000 after buying an additional 1,534,508 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Bank of Montreal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $760,000. FMR LLC grew its position in Bank of Montreal by 14.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,046,721 shares of the bank's stock worth $455,397,000 after acquiring an additional 625,797 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Bank of Montreal during the fourth quarter worth $48,353,000. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.