Scotiabank set for profitable growth

Article Excerpt

Bank of Nova Scotia has shifted its international focus in the past few years to four countries in Latin America—Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Chile. The pandemic had a bigger impact on those developing nations compared to Canada and the U.S., and that hurt the bank’s results. However, rising vaccination rates in those countries put them in a strong position to catch up. Meanwhile, investors will also benefit from the bank’s recent acquisitions to strengthen its wealth management business in Canada, particularly as more baby boomers approach retirement. BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA, $72.62, is a #1 Buy for 2022. The lender (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $88.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.7%; www.scotiabank.com) is Canada’s third-largest bank. In its fiscal 2022 third quarter, ended July 31, 2022, Bank of Nova Scotia’s earnings rose 3.0%, to $2.52 billion from $2.45 billion. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings gained 4.5%, to $2.10 from $2.01. However, that fell short of…