Scotiabank unlocks value

Article Excerpt

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $52 (Toronto symbol BNS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $57.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 4.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.scotiabank.com) has agreed to sell Scotia Plaza, its 68-storey office building in downtown Toronto. Under the terms of the deal, Dundee REIT (Toronto symbol D.UN) and H&R REIT (Toronto symbol HR.UN) will pay Scotia $1.3 billion for the building when the sale closes, probably by June 30, 2012. Dundee will own two-thirds of the property, and H&R will own the remaining third. The bank will remain as the anchor tenant. Meanwhile, Bank of Nova Scotia earned $1.5 billion in the three months ended April 30, 2012. That’s up 16.1% from $1.3 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 8.5%, to $1.15 from $1.06, on more shares outstanding. Revenue rose 1.4%, to $4.7 billion from $4.6 billion. Strong gains at its international operations offset slower growth at its Canadian retail banking…