Dividend increase: Bank of Montreal

Article Excerpt

BANK OF MONTREAL $92 (Toronto symbol BMO; Income-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 652.1 million; Market cap: $60.0 billion; Dividend yield: 3.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.bmo.com) has paid dividends each year since 1829. Starting with the August 2017 payment, it will raise its quarterly dividend by 2.3%. Investors will then receive $0.90 a share instead of $0.88. The new annual rate of $3.60 yields a high 3.9%. The stock is down 4% since the start of 2017. 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. However, higher interest rates in the U.S. should spur Bank of Montreal’s U.S. operations. The U.S. supplies 25% of its earnings. Bank of Montreal is a buy. buy…