Insider Selling: Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Insider Sells C$383,057.29 in Stock

Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) (NYSE:RY) insider Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 1,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$261.83, for a total value of C$383,057.29.

Graeme Ashley Hepworth also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, April 22nd, Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 1,463 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock. The shares were sold at an average price of C$242.82, for a total value of C$355,245.66.

Royal Bank of Canada Stock Performance

Shares of TSE RY opened at C$261.64 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$239.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$231.36. The firm has a market cap of C$363.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.14. Royal Bank of Canada has a 1 year low of C$171.29 and a 1 year high of C$265.10.

Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) (NYSE:RY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported C$4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$17.96 billion during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 20.88%. On average, research analysts predict that Royal Bank of Canada will post 12.3454675 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Bank of Canada Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on RY. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Royal Bank of Canada from C$226.00 to C$232.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Raymond James Financial lowered Royal Bank of Canada from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price target for the company from C$248.00 to C$265.50 in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Royal Bank of Canada from C$260.00 to C$270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. National Bank Financial increased their price target on Royal Bank of Canada from C$257.00 to C$271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price target on Royal Bank of Canada from C$242.00 to C$258.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$253.19.

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 101,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 19 million clients in Canada, the U.S.