TD plans for more U.S. growth

Article Excerpt

Through a series of sharp interest rate increases to curb inflation, the Bank of Canada raised its benchmark rate from just 0.50% in March 2022 to today’s 4.50%. Higher interest rates are generally good news for banks, as those lenders earn higher interest rates on their loans. As well, banking regulators have implemented tougher new lending standards and stress-tests in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. That helps cut the risk of big loan writedowns. We continue to recommend most Canadians own two, or three, of the country’s Big Five banks, even though they tend to leapfrog each other in investment desirability. For new buying, we like TD Bank, in particular, considering its upcoming U.S. acquisitions are set to spur profits—and investor gains—for years to come. TORONTO-DOMINION BANK $93 is a buy. The lender (Toronto symbol TD; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $167.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.td.com) is Canada’s…