Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Makes New $10.36 Million Investment in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Free Report) TSE: BNS during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 190,068 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $10,363,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 3,127.8% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 581 shares of the bank's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 1,588.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 861 shares of the bank's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. City State Bank acquired a new position in Bank of Nova Scotia in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia during the second quarter valued at $104,000. Finally, Spartan Fund Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia during the second quarter worth $118,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.13% of the company's stock.

Bank of Nova Scotia Trading Down 1.1 %

BNS traded down $0.59 during trading on Thursday, hitting $55.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 700,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,740,833. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.07. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a twelve month low of $43.67 and a twelve month high of $57.07. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $54.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.7535 per share. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of Nova Scotia's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Bank of Nova Scotia from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.00.

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.