Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Shares Sold by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont decreased its position in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - Free Report) TSE: BMO by 75.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 901 shares of the bank's stock after selling 2,717 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in Bank of Montreal were worth $87,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BMO. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Bank of Montreal during the second quarter worth $34,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bank of Montreal by 244.1% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 554 shares of the bank's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 207.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 668 shares of the bank's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Bank of Montreal in the 4th quarter valued at $106,000. 45.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank of Montreal Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of BMO traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $98.99. The company had a trading volume of 375,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 436,652. Bank of Montreal has a one year low of $76.98 and a one year high of $104.63. The company's fifty day moving average price is $96.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.76. The company has a market capitalization of $72.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.1329 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.58%. This is an increase from Bank of Montreal's previous quarterly dividend of $1.12. Bank of Montreal's payout ratio is presently 65.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BMO. StockNews.com lowered shares of Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. 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 raised Bank of Montreal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Bank of Montreal from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $161.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank of Montreal has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $128.00.

Bank of Montreal 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.