Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) Shares Purchased by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) (TSE:RY) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Royal Bank of Canada were worth $2,669,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its position in Royal Bank of Canada by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 426 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 4,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $519,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 0.8% during the fourth 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, CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in Royal Bank of Canada by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 2,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.31% of the company’s stock.

Royal Bank of Canada Stock Performance

RY opened at $112.66 on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada has a 1-year low of $95.84 and a 1-year high of $128.05. The stock has a market cap of $159.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Royal Bank of Canada Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 24th will be given a $1.0251 dividend. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on RY. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on 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. CIBC reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Royal Bank of Canada in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Royal Bank of Canada from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.50.

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.