Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY - Get Free Report) NYSE: RY have received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$178.83.

RY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays upgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group decreased their price target on Royal Bank of Canada from C$200.00 to C$192.00 in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Royal Bank of Canada from C$188.00 to C$191.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. National Bankshares upped their price objective on Royal Bank of Canada from C$181.00 to C$188.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Securities downgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price objective for the company from C$178.00 to C$180.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Insider Activity

In other Royal Bank of Canada news, Senior Officer Douglas Antony Guzman sold 1,538 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$177.09, for a total transaction of C$272,363.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 25 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately C$4,427.24. This trade represents a 98.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, Senior Officer Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 308 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$175.12, for a total value of C$53,938.25. Insiders sold 22,150 shares of company stock valued at $3,882,024 in the last three months.

Royal Bank of Canada Stock Down 0.4 %

TSE RY traded down C$0.67 during trading hours on Friday, reaching C$168.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,858,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,695,471. The company has a market capitalization of C$238.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.70, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.84. Royal Bank of Canada has a 1 year low of C$130.44 and a 1 year high of C$180.45. The firm's 50-day moving average price is C$173.75 and its 200-day moving average price is C$168.47.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. This is a boost from Royal Bank of Canada's previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.49%.

Royal Bank of Canada Company Profile

Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses.