CENTRAL TRUST Co Acquires 115 Shares of Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY)

CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in shares of Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) (TSE:RY) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Royal Bank of Canada were worth $274,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Five Oceans Advisors increased its stake in Royal Bank of Canada by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 8,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $976,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Royal Bank of Canada by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Royal Bank of Canada during the 4th quarter worth approximately $249,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its stake in Royal Bank of Canada by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 12,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its stake in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 104.9% during the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 39,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,775,000 after acquiring an additional 20,374 shares in the last quarter. 45.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on RY shares. Barclays raised shares of Royal Bank of Canada from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Royal Bank of Canada from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 1st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from $195.00 to $193.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Securities cut shares of Royal Bank of Canada from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Royal Bank of Canada has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.50.

Royal Bank of Canada Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE RY opened at $118.68 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $167.85 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Royal Bank of Canada has a 12 month low of $93.97 and a 12 month high of $128.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $122.27 and a 200-day moving average of $120.36.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 27th will be issued a $1.0522 dividend. This represents a $4.21 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 27th. This is an increase from Royal Bank of Canada’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Royal Bank of Canada’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.76%.

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses.