Savant Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 4,081 The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS)

Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS) (TSE:BNS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,081 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BNS. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Bank of Nova Scotia by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 36,568 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,993,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 171.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,578 shares of the bank’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia during the 3rd quarter worth $221,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 18,470 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,006,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bank of Nova Scotia by 138.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 123,358 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,220,000 after buying an additional 71,712 shares in the last quarter. 49.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BNS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised Bank of Nova Scotia from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. TD Securities raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised Bank of Nova Scotia from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Bank of Nova Scotia has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.00.

Bank of Nova Scotia Price Performance

Shares of BNS opened at $50.84 on Thursday. The Bank of Nova Scotia has a 12-month low of $43.67 and a 12-month high of $57.07. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $63.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.07.

Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th were given a $0.7535 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.93%. Bank of Nova Scotia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.29%.

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.