The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) Shares Purchased by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Free Report) TSE: BNS by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,757,961 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 2,346,995 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia makes up approximately 1.5% of Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.95% of Bank of Nova Scotia worth $640,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rathbones Group PLC increased its position in Bank of Nova Scotia by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 136,337 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,235,000 after buying an additional 14,379 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 17.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,438,129 shares of the bank's stock valued at $241,981,000 after acquiring an additional 660,097 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 2,455.8% during the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,521,906 shares of the bank's stock worth $69,627,000 after buying an additional 1,462,360 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 48.3% in the third quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,563,594 shares of the bank's stock valued at $85,201,000 after buying an additional 509,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in Bank of Nova Scotia by 4.7% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 15,091,880 shares of the bank's stock worth $690,438,000 after purchasing an additional 683,946 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.13% of the company's stock.

Bank of Nova Scotia Price Performance

NYSE:BNS traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $56.71. 926,101 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,769,975. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a 1 year low of $41.80 and a 1 year high of $56.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $53.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.55. The company has a market cap of $70.57 billion, a PE ratio of 13.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.05.

Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Get Free Report) TSE: BNS last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 27th. The bank reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $8.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.53 billion. Bank of Nova Scotia had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 11.14%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Bank of Nova Scotia will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BNS. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. TD Securities upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Bank of Nova Scotia Company Profile

The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets segments.