BMO targets global growth

Article Excerpt

BANK OF MONTREAL $77 (Toronto symbol BMO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 642.5 million; Market cap: $49.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield: 4.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bmo.com) is Canada’s fourth-largest bank, with $672.4 billion of assets. The bank has steadily expanded beyond Canada in recent years. For example, in 2011, it acquired Wisconsin-based banking firm Marshall & Ilsley for $4.0 billion in stock. That more than doubled the number of branches Bank of Montreal operates in the U.S. and added two million customers. In 2014, it paid $1.3 billion for U.K.-based wealth management firm F&C Asset Management, which sells investment services to individuals and institutional clients, such as pension plans and insurance companies. Low rates keep loan demand high Meantime, the bank is benefiting as low interest rates prompt more consumers to take out loans. Low rates and acquisitions boosted its revenue by 36.6%, from $12.2 billion in 2010 to $16.7 billion in 2014…