The Big Five cut risk with diverse operations

Article Excerpt

On average, Canada’s Big Five banks are down about 8% in the past three months. That’s partly due to concerns over a sharp increase in real estate prices, especially in Toronto and Vancouver. Any significant rise in interest rates would hurt the ability of some borrowers to repay their mortgages. It could also slow new mortgage business for lenders. However, all of the Big Five are well-diversified, and that helps shield them from problems in any one region or line of business. We like all them, but TD is our top choice for new buying. ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $93 (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $139.5 billion; p/s: 3.5; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.rbc.com) saw its earnings rise 9.2% in the quarter ended April 30, 2017, to $2.8 billion from $2.6 billion a year earlier. Per-share earnings rose 11.4%, to $1.85 from $1.66, on fewer shares outstanding. Earnings from…