New growth plan will spur BNS’s recovery

Article Excerpt

Shares of Bank of Nova Scotia are down 19% in the past year, as rising interest rates have increased its loan-loss provisions. In response, new CEO Scott Thomson recently announced several new initiatives to spur growth. Those include increasing its deposit base (which will help cut its funding costs) and boosting efficiency. We feel these actions will lift your returns as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic. What’s more, the bank has little exposure to the current turmoil in the U.S. banking system. BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $66 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $79.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 6.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.scotiabank.com) became the first chartered bank in Nova Scotia in 1832. Today, it’s Canada’s fourth-largest bank by market cap. In the past few years, Bank of Nova Scotia has narrowed its international focus to four countries in Latin America—Mexico, Peru, Colombia and…