TD invests for future growth

Article Excerpt

TD Bank reported higher earnings in the latest quarter for both its Canadian and U.S. businesses. The bank continues to increase efficiency, and profits, by improving its online and mobile banking platforms. This positions it for strong future growth—and it makes TD a top bank buy for safety-conscious investors. TD BANK $77.54 (Toronto symbol TD; Shares o/s: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $141.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 3.8%; www.td.com) is Canada’s largest bank with assets of $1.33 trillion. TD earned $3.27 billion, excluding one-time items, in the quarter ended April 30, 2019. That’s a 6.7% rise over $3.06 billion a year earlier. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings rose 8.0%, to $1.75 from $1.62. Earnings from the Canadian retail banking operations (56% of the total) increased 2.4%. That gain was due to strong demand for new loans from consumers and businesses, as well as higher interest rates. Earnings for the bank’s U.S. business (37%) jumped 20.1% in the quarter. That’s largely because higher…