The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS - Get Free Report) NYSE: BNS have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$76.73.

BNS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. National Bankshares increased their price objective on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$66.00 to C$78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. CIBC lifted their price target on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$82.00 to C$84.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$65.00 to C$74.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$72.00 to C$84.00 in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from C$73.00 to C$90.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Down 0.7 %

Bank of Nova Scotia stock traded down C$0.56 during trading hours on Monday, hitting C$78.36. The stock had a trading volume of 4,555,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,253,800. The stock's 50-day moving average price is C$75.31 and its 200-day moving average price is C$68.99. The stock has a market capitalization of C$97.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.97. Bank of Nova Scotia has a 12-month low of C$60.68 and a 12-month high of C$80.14.

Bank of Nova Scotia Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.41%. Bank of Nova Scotia's payout ratio is 74.26%.

About Bank of Nova Scotia

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.