Pump up your returns with Royal

Article Excerpt

Canada’s largest bank continues to rebound strongly after dropping to $72 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. That recovery is mainly because a mass surge in loan writeoffs failed to materialize as governments offered both individuals and businesses financial support. That assistance kept loan repayments on track. The bank’s earnings should continue to improve as the economy further recovers. Royal is also in a strong position to reward investors once Canada’s banking regulator ends a pandemic-spurred ban on dividend increases. ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $127 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $177.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.7; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.rbc.com) is Canada’s largest chartered bank by market cap. It has over 17 million individual and business clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. In November 2015, Royal completed its acquisition of Los Angeles-based City National Bank. That firm lends to wealthy individuals…