TD expands its reach

Article Excerpt

TORONTO-DOMINION BANK $81 is a buy. The lender (Toronto symbol TD; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $145.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 4.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.td.com) has formed a new alliance with Canada Post. Under the deal, TD will offer personal loans through Canada Post outlets. Those loans will have flexible repayment terms at the bank’s current interest rates. The alliance will help TD reach more customers, particularly in rural areas and Indigenous communities where there are few full-service bank branches. It will also help the bank cross-promote credit cards and other products. Meantime, TD’s shares are down 26% from their recent peak of $109 in February 2022. That’s due to fears rising interest rates will increase its loan losses. However, TD’s loan book remains strong—bad loans fell to 0.20% of the total portfolio as of July 31, 2022, down from 0.26% a year earlier. TD Bank is a buy. buy…