Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) Short Interest Update

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) saw a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 5,982,070 shares, an increase of 40.6% from the December 31st total of 4,255,749 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 654,307 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 9.1 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 654,307 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 9.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on BMO. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Bank Of Montreal in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. TD Securities raised Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Natl Bk Canada cut shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.00.

Bank Of Montreal Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of NYSE:BMO opened at $136.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Bank Of Montreal has a 1 year low of $85.40 and a 1 year high of $141.63. The company has a market cap of $96.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $131.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.19.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The bank reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. Bank Of Montreal had a return on equity of 11.76% and a net margin of 11.13%.Bank Of Montreal’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. This is a positive change from Bank Of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Bank Of Montreal’s payout ratio is currently 57.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank Of Montreal

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMO. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in Bank Of Montreal by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 2,381 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 57,622 shares of the bank’s stock worth $7,478,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,280 shares of the bank’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in Bank Of Montreal by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,480 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Bank Of Montreal by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 401,756 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $52,244,000 after acquiring an additional 4,973 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.82% of the company’s stock.

Bank Of Montreal Company Profile

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO), commonly known as BMO Financial Group, is one of Canada’s largest and longest-established banks. Founded in Montreal and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, the bank provides a broad range of financial services to retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. BMO is publicly listed in both Canada and the United States and operates under a consolidated financial services model that integrates banking, capital markets, wealth management and asset management activities.

BMO’s core businesses include personal and commercial banking—offering checking and savings accounts, lending, mortgages, and small-business services—alongside wealth management and private banking through its asset and investment management divisions.