The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) Shares Acquired by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) (TSE:BNS) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,035 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia were worth $808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 121.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 639 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 1,588.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 861 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Bank of Nova Scotia during the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Bank of Nova Scotia during the third quarter worth $111,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 11.9% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,713 shares of the bank’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. 49.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BNS shares. Bank of America raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Cibc World Mkts lowered shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.50.

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Down 0.5 %

BNS stock opened at $49.38 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.50. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a 12 month low of $43.67 and a 12 month high of $57.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.50 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.07.

Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.7415 per share. This represents a $2.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.01%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Bank of Nova Scotia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.20%.

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.