These banks offer high, sustainable yields

Article Excerpt

Despite the economic disruption brought on by COVID-19, we still like the long-term prospects for investors in Canada’s top banks. As they were during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, these institutions are well prepared and well capitalized to handle the current shock. Meanwhile, under new rules by banking regulators in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Canada’s banks have suspended their share buybacks and will not raise their dividends. However, the current dividend rates of the country’s top banks look very secure. We still see TD Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia as top picks for their expanding global business and the resilience of their significantly diversified revenue streams. TD BANK $62.43 (Toronto symbol TD; Shares o/s: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $112.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.1%; www.td.com) reported lower earnings for its latest quarter due to higher loan-loss provisions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. In its fiscal 2020 second quarter, ended April 30, 2020, those provisions jumped to $3.22 billion from $633 million a..