Scotiabank’s future looks bright

Article Excerpt

Bank of Nova Scotia has shifted its international focus in the past few years to four countries in Latin America—Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Those four markets now account for 25% of the bank’s earnings. Given the region’s favourable long-term demographics and growth prospects, we think investors will benefit from this new focus. Meanwhile, investors will also benefit from the bank’s recent acquisitions to strengthen its wealth management business in Canada, particularly as more baby boomers approach retirement. BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA, $65.57, is a #1 Buy for 2022. The lender (Toronto symbol BNS; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $79.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 6.5%; www.scotiabank.com) is Canada’s third-largest bank. Due to the possibilty of an economic slowdown, Bank of Nova Scotia set aside $709 million to cover future loan losses in its fiscal 2023 second quarter, ended April 30, 2023. That’s up 223.7% from $219 million a year earlier. If you exclude unusual items, the bank’s earnings in the quarter…