Our #1 safety-conscious pick for 2014

Article Excerpt

For the second consecutive year we’ve picked Bank of Nova Scotia as our #1 safety-conscious pick. We looked at a number of stocks this year, including Great-West Lifeco (see right), but Bank of Nova Scotia was still a clear choice. Its shares have dropped lately along with the market, but we think it will rebound and move higher. BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $60.94 (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $72.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Div. yield: 4.1%, www.scotiabank.com) is the third-largest of Canada’s five big banks, with assets of $743.8 billion. In its fiscal 2013 fourth quarter, which ended October 31, 2013, the bank earned $1.30 a share, up 10.2% from $1.18 a year earlier. Higher loan demand and an increase in deposits pushed up the Canadian banking division’s earnings by 23.3%. That includes ING Direct, which the bank bought for $3.1 billion in late 2012. This business offers a variety of no-fee banking services, mainly…