The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) Shares Bought by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - Free Report) TSE: BNS by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 364,598 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 5,452 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia were worth $19,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Magnus Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 5,100 shares of the bank's stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 11,089 shares of the bank's stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 18,470 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,006,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 3,357 shares of the bank's stock valued at $183,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,905 shares of the bank's stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 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 report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Bank of Nova Scotia from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Bank of Nova Scotia Trading Down 0.6 %

Bank of Nova Scotia stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.93. The stock had a trading volume of 447,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,933,337. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a twelve month low of $43.67 and a twelve month high of $57.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $52.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.17.

Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th were issued a $0.7535 dividend. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of Nova Scotia's payout ratio is currently 68.29%.

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.