Profits for U.S. acquisition to double

Article Excerpt

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $105 (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $157.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.9; Dividend yield: 3.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.rbc.com) acquired Los Angeles-based City National Bank in November 2015 for $5.5 billion U.S. That firm lends to wealthy individuals and businesses in the entertainment, technology and health-care industries. Thanks to that acquisition, the U.S. now supplies 23% of Royal’s total revenue. City National operates few branches, which helps keep its operating costs down. That business should also benefit from rising interest rates and cost savings following the takeover by Royal. As a result, City National’s pre-tax earnings will probably jump from $400 million U.S. in the fiscal year ended October 31, 2015, to around $1.0 billion U.S. for fiscal 2020. Royal Bank is a buy. buy…