Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) (NYSE:BNS)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday. The company traded as high as C$134.78 and last traded at C$134.53, with a volume of 1,758,223 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$131.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BNS shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$110.00 to C$130.00 in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$117.00 to C$129.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Desjardins set a C$130.00 price target on Bank of Nova Scotia and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$131.00 to C$134.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$121.00 to C$127.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Bank of Nova Scotia has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$129.50.

Bank of Nova Scotia Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of C$163.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average is C$129.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$114.74.

Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) (NYSE:BNS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 25th. The bank reported C$2.28 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$10.54 billion during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 11.41%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Bank of Nova Scotia will post 7.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 28th were paid a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Bank of Nova Scotia’s payout ratio is currently 58.04%.

Bank of Nova Scotia Company Profile

Scotiabank’s vision is to be our clients’ most trusted financial partner and deliver sustainable, profitable growth. Guided by our purpose: ‘for every future,’ we help our clients, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products, and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With assets of approximately $1.5 trillion (as at January 31, 2026), Scotiabank is one of the largest banks in North America by assets, and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS).