Royal Bank continues to impress us

Article Excerpt

The shares of Canada’s largest bank are up 60% since March 2020 as the economy continues to rebound from COVID-19 shutdowns. The likelihood of higher interest rates in 2022 will also boost Royal’s earnings and give it more room to raise your dividend and buy back shares. ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $141 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol RY; Income-Growth Payer Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $197.4 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.rbc.com) is Canada’s largest chartered bank by market cap. It’s also one of the world’s top 10 banks. Royal’s retail banking network is the largest in Canada, with 1,182 branches and 4,032 ATMs. It currently has over 17 million individual and business clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. The bank will now raise your quarterly dividend by 11.1% with the February 2022 payment. Investors will then receive $1.20 a share instead of $1.08. The new annual rate of $4.80 yields a solid 3.4%. Royal…