Royal BankRY.TOCOMMENTJul 14, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 05, 2026. Market Open.
She's been wrong about the Canadian banks the past year, that they're expensive. They were up 30% last year + 20% this year. These stocks are priced for perfection and trading well above historical averages in PE. Wait. Last year, they released provisions for loan losses into earnings, which was a temporary boost. Their only growth aspect this year is how many branches a bank can close, which is a weak growth driver. She hasn't bought any banks this year.
He's a big fan of EQB. Phenomenal CEO, who'll take company to new heights. Will most likely outperform in next 3-5 years. Organic growth will be higher. A more agile and flexible organization. Digitally native, so it's built to adapt. Very conservative provisioning.
You buy RY for stability, its huge infrastructure, and capital markets business. Sufficient provisions for consumer credit issues. Very solid hold for the longer term.
Both are a Buy in his books.
With Iran conflict, yield curve has gone a bit flat, so net interest margins aren't going to be as good. If the conflict persists, earnings will possibly decelerate. This name is best positioned for all that. Usually trades at 11% premium to peers, now 8%.
If you assume that the conflict gears down to more manageable levels, you could buy the banks here and this name is the best choice.
Has done well, but pulled back a little, which makes it an opportunity. Is the largest Canadian bank, very diversified with strong wealth management, so somewhere defensive. Pays a 3% dividend, not the highest, but still good. They bought HSBC a few years ago. It trades at a premium to the group, but boasts a higher ROE.
(Analysts’ price target is $252.33)
The newly issued perpetual preferred shares? Perpetual shares are like a long-term bond. They are out there forever at a set rate, so it depends on where you think interest rates are going. In the near term, Canada has been trending down in contrast to the US. Eventually US rates are going to be moving up. As the Canadian economy hopefully starts to gain some momentum, rates should be going up. When interest rates go up, bond prices usually go down, so perpetuals are actually not the best thing to own in that kind of environment. In a rising rate environment, she would rather own Fixed Reset Preferreds, which get reset every 5 years.