Big banks start 2017 with dividend hikes

Article Excerpt

All of the Big Five banks hold our highest Dividend Sustainability Rating, but only two have announced payout increases for the first half of fiscal 2017. BANK OF MONTREAL $97 (Toronto symbol BMO; Income-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares o/s: 645.8 million; Market cap: $63.5 billion; Priceto-sales ratio: 3.1; Dividend yield: 3.6%; www.bmo.com Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest) will increase its quarterly dividend by 2.3%, to $0.88 a share from $0.86. That starts with the February 2017 payment; it also lifts the annual rate to $3.52 for a yield of 3.6%. The payout has grown an average of 4.7% each year since 2011. The bank has now paid dividends each year since 1829. It aims to pay out 40% to 50% of its annual earnings to shareholders each fiscal year; it will likely increase the payout again in mid-2017. For the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter, ended October 31, 2016, Bank of Montreal’s revenue rose 5.9%, to $5.3 billion from $5.0 billion a year…