Scotiabank looks to exit Thailand

Article Excerpt

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $53 (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $63.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield: 5.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.scotiabank.com) is considering selling all or part of its 49% stake in Thailand’s Thanachart Bank, which has a book value of $2.4 billion. Like many Asian nations, Thailand prohibits foreign firms from controlling domestic banks. Economic weakness and political uncertainty have also hurt loan demand in the country. Bank of Nova Scotia would probably use the proceeds from any sale to expand in Latin America. In 2015, it acquired 51% of Chilean retailer Cencosud’s credit card and consumer loan operations, making Scotiabank that country’s third-largest credit card lender. It also acquired Citibank’s retail banking businesses in Peru, Panama and Costa Rica. Bank of Nova Scotia is a buy. buy. …