Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$48.46 +0.25 (+0.52%)

Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$48.55 +0.09 (+0.19%)

As of 06:29 PM Eastern

Bank of Nova Scotia - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 9 Analyst Ratings

Sell
0

Hold
5

Buy
4

Based on 9 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Bank of Nova Scotia in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 9 analysts, 5 have given a hold rating, and 4 have given a buy rating for BNS.

Consensus Price Target

$81.00
67.15% Upside

According to the 9 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Bank of Nova Scotia, the average price target is $81.00. The highest price target for BNS is $81.00, while the lowest price target for BNS is $81.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 67.15% from the current price of $48.46.

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BNS Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 4/23/24 to 4/23/25	1 Month Ago 3/24/24 to 3/24/25	3 Months Ago 1/24/24 to 1/23/25	1 Year Ago 4/24/23 to 4/23/24
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	4 Buy rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)
Hold	5 Hold rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)
Sell	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$81.00	$81.00	$72.00	$68.00
Forecasted Upside	67.15% Upside	67.55% Upside	39.30% Upside	43.79% Upside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Reduce

BNS Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

BNS Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Bank of Nova Scotia	Finance Companies	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	2.44	2.53	2.54
Consensus Rating	Hold	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	68.14% Upside	34.76% Upside	25.17% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent BNS News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export to Excel

Date	Brokerage	Analyst Name	Action	Rating	Price Target	Upside/Downside on Report Date
3/31/2025	Bank of America 3 of 5 stars		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Neutral
2/26/2025	Royal Bank of Canada 4 of 5 stars	Darko Mihelic Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Sector Perform ➝ Sector Perform	$83.00 ➝ $81.00	+61.18%
2/18/2025	Cibc World Mkts 0 of 5 stars	P. Holden Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Strong-Buy ➝ Hold
2/18/2025	CIBC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Sector Outperform ➝ Neutral
11/21/2024	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	B. Morton Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Underweight ➝ Equal Weight
11/19/2024	Canaccord Genuity Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy
11/18/2024	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	J. Shea Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Neutral ➝ Buy
11/4/2024	TD Securities Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	M. Mendonca Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy
2/22/2024	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Hold
11/29/2023	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Market Perform ➝ Market Perform	$73.00 ➝ $68.00	+60.34%
8/30/2023	Scotiabank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$68.00 ➝ $66.00	+38.95%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Wednesday at 07:10 PM ET.

Should I Buy Bank of Nova Scotia Stock? BNS Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Bank of Nova Scotia pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Bank of Nova Scotia
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in The Bank of Nova Scotia:

The current stock price is around $47.46, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in the banking sector.
The Bank of Nova Scotia has a strong dividend yield of 6.34%, providing a steady income stream for investors through its quarterly dividend payments.
Institutional investors and hedge funds own a significant portion (49.13%) of the company's stock, indicating confidence in its long-term performance.
Recent increases in holdings by various institutional investors, such as CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co, suggest positive sentiment and potential growth prospects.
The bank operates in multiple countries, including Canada, the U.S., and several Latin American nations, which diversifies its revenue streams and reduces risk.

Bank of Nova Scotia
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in The Bank of Nova Scotia for these reasons:

The bank recently cut its dividend, which may signal financial strain or a shift in strategy that could concern income-focused investors.
Analyst ratings have been mixed, with some downgrades indicating potential challenges ahead for the bank's stock performance.
The high dividend payout ratio of 83.05% suggests that a large portion of earnings is being distributed to shareholders, which may limit funds available for reinvestment in growth opportunities.
Recent fluctuations in stock price, with a 12-month low of $43.68, may indicate volatility that could deter risk-averse investors.
Economic uncertainties in the regions where The Bank of Nova Scotia operates could impact its profitability and growth potential.

BNS Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 9 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Bank of Nova Scotia is $81.00, with a high forecast of $81.00 and a low forecast of $81.00.
: 9 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Bank of Nova Scotia in the last year. There are currently 5 hold ratings and 4 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" BNS shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in BNS, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.
: According to analysts, Bank of Nova Scotia's stock has a predicted upside of 67.15% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Over the previous 90 days, Bank of Nova Scotia's stock had 2 downgrades by analysts.
: Bank of Nova Scotia has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, CIBC, Cibc World Mkts, and Royal Bank of Canada in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Bank of Nova Scotia less than other "finance" companies. The consensus rating for Bank of Nova Scotia is Hold while the average consensus rating for "finance" companies is Moderate Buy. Learn more on how BNS compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:BNS) was last updated on 4/23/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Stock Forecast & Price Target