Unigestion Holding SA Sells 148,949 Shares of The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS)

Unigestion Holding SA reduced its holdings in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Free Report) TSE: BNS by 33.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 294,030 shares of the bank's stock after selling 148,949 shares during the quarter. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia were worth $16,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 260.1% in the 3rd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 5,480,486 shares of the bank's stock worth $298,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,958,580 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 5,380.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 3,972,234 shares of the bank's stock valued at $216,447,000 after acquiring an additional 3,899,760 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in Bank of Nova Scotia in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $120,463,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 24.9% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 11,757,961 shares of the bank's stock valued at $640,624,000 after purchasing an additional 2,346,995 shares during the period. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 24,990,868 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,361,752,000 after acquiring an additional 2,195,604 shares during the last quarter. 49.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Performance

NYSE BNS traded up $0.05 on Wednesday, reaching $55.88. 640,367 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,744,942. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.95, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $53.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.12. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a one year low of $43.67 and a one year high of $57.07.

Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts 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 given a $0.7535 dividend. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of Nova Scotia's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BNS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Securities upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of Nova Scotia currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.00.

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.