Good time to buy Royal Bank

Article Excerpt

The shares of Royal Bank and other big Canadian banks have suffered in the past year as rising interest rates increase the appeal of bonds. Higher interest rates also increase the likelihood of greater loan defaults. We see Royal as a particularly attractive buy right now as it looks like the current cycle of rising interest rates has peaked. The bank will also benefit from recent acquisitions and its new cost-cutting plan. ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $117 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol RY; Income-Growth Payer Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $163.8 billion; Dividend yield: 4.6%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.rbc.com) is Canada’s largest chartered bank by market cap. It’s also one of the world’s top 10 banks. Royal last raised your quarterly dividend with the August 2023 payment. Investors now receive $1.35 a share, up 2.3% from $1.32. The new annual rate of $5.40 yields a solid 4.6%. The bank’s overall revenue rose 16.7%, from $45.58 billion in 2018 to $49.69 billion…