TD moving forward

Article Excerpt

TD BANK, $76.62, is a #1 Buy for 2024. The lender (Toronto symbol TD; Shares o/s: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $134.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.3%; www.td.com) cancelled its deal to acquire First Horizon Corporation (New York symbol FHN) for $13.4 billion U.S. in May 2023. That’s after the deal failed to secure the necessary approvals. Part of the reason TD was unable to complete the acquisition was that U.S. regulators were concerned by lapses in its anti-money laundering processes. The bank has now set aside $450 million U.S. to cover some of the fines it expects to pay. To put that amount in perspective, TD earned $3.60 billion (Cdn.), or $2.04 a share, in the quarter ended April 30, 2024. The bank continues to negotiate with U.S. authorities, and probably faces additional fines. Even so, making progress to settle this issue helps cut TD’s risk. The bank is also enhancing its compliance systems to prevent further violations. TD Bank is a #1 Buy for…