Topic: Dividend Stocks

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $61 – Toronto symbol RY

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $61 (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap:$91.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield:3.9%; TSI Network Rating: Above Average;www.rbc.com) is Canada’s largest bank by market cap. It earned a record $7.6 billion, or $4.96 a share, in its 2012 fiscal year, which ended October 31,2012. That’s up 8.9% from $7.0 billion, or $4.55 a share, in fiscal 2011. Revenue rose 7.7%, to $29.8billion from $27.6 billion.

The bank continues to report strong loan demand at its retail banking operations in Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean. This division’s earnings, which accounted for 56% of Royal’s total, rose 9.3%.Earnings from securities trading (22% of overall earnings) rose 22.4% due to higher income from bond trading. The insurance division’s earnings (10%) climbed19.0% due to fewer claims.

These gains offset a 5.9%earnings decline at Royal’s wealth management business(11% of the total). Earnings at the investor and treasury services division (1%) fell 63.0%.That’s because of a loss related to the purchase of 50% of joint venture that the bank didn’t already own. Without this loss, this business’s earnings would have risen by 30%.

The stock trades at 11.5 times the bank’s projected fiscal 2013 earnings of $5.32 a share. The $2.40 dividend yields 3.9%.

Royal Bank is a buy.

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