Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO) given analysts' average recommendation of “neutral buy”.

Shares of Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO – Free Reporting ) (NYSE:BMO) have been given an average rating of “Average Buy” by the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated coverage on the stock in the last year is $132.39.

Several research firms recently weighed in on BMO. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$134.00 to C$130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$137.00 to C$136.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Desjardins decreased their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$135.00 to C$133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Bank of Montreal from C$145.00 to C$141.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Bank of Montreal from C$144.00 to C$136.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th.

Check out our latest analysis on Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal Stock Performance

Shares of BMO stock opened at C$124.79 on Friday. Bank of Montreal has a 1 year low of C$102.67 and a 1 year high of C$133.95. The company has a market cap of C$90.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty-day moving average of C$127.52 and a 200-day moving average of C$122.59.

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO – Get Free Report ) (NYSE:BMO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The bank reported C$2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$3.03 ($0.47). The company had revenue of C$7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$8.57 billion. Bank of Montreal had a return on equity of 7.28% and a net margin of 17.71%. analysts anticipate that Bank of Montreal will post 11.3859489 EPS for the current year.

Bank of Montreal Dividend Announcement

The business recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 26th. This represents a dividend of $6.04 on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.84%. Bank of Montreal's payout ratio is currently 83.20%.

Insiders place their own bets

In other news, Director Darrell Hackett sold 3,297 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock traded at an average price of C$91.76, for a total value of C$302,532.72. In other news, Director Darrell Hackett sold 3,297 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock traded at an average price of C$91.76, for a total value of C$302,532.72. Also, SVP Nadeem Hirji sold 2,882 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. Shares were traded at an average price of C$130.46, for a total value of C$375,985.72. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's shares.

About the Bank of Montreal

(Get a free report

Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. It operates through the Canadian P&C, US P&C, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets segments. The company's personal banking products and services include deposits, mortgages, home loans, consumer loans, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services include a variety of financing options, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products.

Read more

Get daily Bank of Montreal news and ratings – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Montreal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.