Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) Buy, Sell or Hold

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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO)

122.44

-0.13 (0.11%)

as of Jun 26, 2026, 8:00:00 pm Market Open.

2153 watching

Investor Insights

Jun 26, 2026, 12:00 am

This summary was created by AI, based on 30 opinions in the last 12 months.

The Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) is seen as a long-term hold by many analysts, despite a mixed performance relative to its peers. While some experts express optimism about its high dividend yield of around 4.5% and its potential to outperform due to management changes and international exposure, others express concerns regarding its strategic decisions, particularly the investment in KEY. This inconsistency in leadership and strategic direction appears to affect investor confidence. Recent evaluations suggest BNS may be undervalued compared to other Canadian banks, though some analysts recommend caution before adding to positions as the bank has underperformed in the short term. Overall, the bank's appeal centers on its dividend yield and potential for operational turnaround in the coming years.

Consensus

Hold

Valuation

Undervalued

Similar

BUY

Dividend is safe. If they didn't cut in 2008, they won't cut now. People are worried that with the price of oil so low, we'll go into recession, rates will go down, and the Canadian consumer is more highly leveraged than the US consumer. But over the long term, the banks have compounded for the investor very well.

TOP PICK

An income pick. BNS is well-run, though earnings have been sloppy in recent quarters as they integrate acquisitions. He sees earnings growth. It trades cheaply at 10x earnings at a 5% dividend. You can own both US and Canadian banks which face different tailwinds. (Analysts’ price target is $77.67)

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Mar 13/19, Up 8%) Thought it would be out of the doghouse by now. Problems in Chile and Canadian consumer have caused it to struggle. Still happy to own it.

BUY ON WEAKNESS

Ranks after TD and Royal as a bank. They're in some emerging markets that make him cautious.

COMMENT

They're doing a better job as a Canadian retail bank, but there are some problems with their Latin American operations. This is getting interesting with its valuation and potential growth. However, low interest rates are a damper. He'd rank this behind TD, his top Canadian bank. He owns no Canadian banks now.

TOP PICK

He likes the banks generally because they are really cheap and this is the cheapest of the banks that is on good technical support. He cycles out of the high ones and gets into the low ones. (Analysts’ price target is $77.07)

PARTIAL BUY

Among the Canadian banks, it's the riskiest, given its move into Latin America, but this could also be opportunity. It's the cheapest Canadian bank. It could struggle in the first half of 2020 given slow global growth, but should do better in the latter half. He kind of likes it here. But he'd buy this along with RY and BMO to get more geographic diversification. He wouldn't buy only BNS.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Nov 19/19, Down 4%) Long-term, banks are fine. Not a trade, but a hold. Now could be a buying opportunity.

COMMENT

Canadian Banks? He is very pessimistic on Canada in general. We are the whipping horse of the world right now. He is not a fan of this sector. News of high loan loss provisions is making him nervous and he sees global shorting going on. He favours US banks instead. If he were to look at one Canadian bank, it might be BNS. A yield over 5% and share price upside to $85.36.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Jan 09/19, Up 8%) Not exactly a barn burner of a return, but nothing to sneeze at either. Still buying it with fresh dollars today. Structural alliance to Pacific Alliance developing countries, which are under-banked. Trades at a discount to the others. Catalysts include excess capital, selling off some small assets, and integrating recently acquired fund management company.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick Jan 15/19, Up 6%) Most of the return was from the dividend. He thinks the Canadian banks are better valued than US counterparts. Provisions for loans losses and software development write downs resulted in a $175 million earnings report recently. He would make this one of his most favoured Canadian banks -- trading at 1.4 times book and a near 5% yield. It has the most potential for capital appreciation going forward.

COMMENT

CDN Bank shares or ETF? As a porfolio manager, he prefers to use his expertise to pick individual stocks. An ETF gives you the group and no ability to outperform. Canadian banks are favorable over US counterparts he thinks, including the higher yield. He likes BNS and RY. He does not hold much in TD at the moment. He holds about 20% of his portfolio in banks.

DON'T BUY

Banks did poorly in the second half of 2019. BNS has had a long downturn for two years, the enjoyed a pop on August earnings, then has since retreated down. Canadian banks do well Jan. 24- April 15. But wait till BNS itself picks up before entering, in addition to its seasonality. Need to see some momentum.

HOLD

He owns this one. It is about 50% international -- almost all outside of the US. This makes it different from all other banks. The outlook is looking good. They have bought some wealth management assets in Canada. Q4 earnings were in the middle of the pack. He thinks the dividend will grow. He would continue to hold.

HOLD

If you are holding it for a nice income stream he would stick with it. He only holds NA-T and a little bit of TD-T. Insurance companies are a better place to invest, however.

Showing 271 to 285 of 1,688 entries

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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO)