Triasima Portfolio Management inc. Purchases 77,285 Shares of Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO)

Triasima Portfolio Management inc. boosted its position in Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 486,421 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 77,285 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal makes up about 4.0% of Triasima Portfolio Management inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. owned about 0.07% of Bank of Montreal worth $48,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bank of Montreal during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Bank of Montreal by 192.1% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 333 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in Bank of Montreal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new position in Bank of Montreal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Bank of Montreal during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. 45.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank of Montreal Stock Performance

NYSE BMO traded down $1.79 on Friday, hitting $93.02. 701,316 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 561,688. Bank of Montreal has a 52 week low of $73.98 and a 52 week high of $100.12. The company has a market capitalization of $67.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s fifty day moving average is $94.27 and its 200 day moving average is $89.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO) (TSE:BMO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The bank reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.24 by ($0.34). Bank of Montreal had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 11.89%. The company had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Bank of Montreal will post 8.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be issued a $1.1172 dividend. This is an increase from Bank of Montreal’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.11. This represents a $4.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 26th. Bank of Montreal’s payout ratio is currently 62.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays began coverage on shares of Bank of Montreal in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. National Bank Financial raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Bank of Montreal in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Bank of Montreal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.00.

About Bank of Montreal

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