Guardian Partners Inc. Decreases Position in Bank Of Montreal $BMO

Guardian Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 338,734 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 4,503 shares during the period. Bank Of Montreal comprises about 3.8% of Guardian Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings in Bank Of Montreal were worth $44,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Canerector Inc. raised its stake in Bank Of Montreal by 18,035.0% during the third quarter. Canerector Inc. now owns 22,668,750 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,952,605,000 after acquiring an additional 22,543,750 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Bank Of Montreal in the second quarter worth about $1,184,220,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 2,986.1% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,170,118 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $240,009,000 after purchasing an additional 2,099,800 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Bank Of Montreal by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 19,079,026 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,486,691,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Bank Of Montreal by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,194,013 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,567,773,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196,237 shares in the last quarter. 45.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank Of Montreal Trading Down 1.3%

BMO opened at $142.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Bank Of Montreal has a fifty-two week low of $85.40 and a fifty-two week high of $149.01. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $138.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.92.

Bank Of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.16. Bank Of Montreal had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 12.16%. The firm had revenue of $7.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Bank Of Montreal will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank Of Montreal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Bank Of Montreal’s payout ratio is presently 56.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on BMO shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank Of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. TD Securities raised Bank Of Montreal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Bank Of Montreal in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

About Bank Of Montreal

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.