Royal Bank (RY.TO)

Royal’s down a bit. Good 2nd quarter results of 11% growth year over year. Performance gap between them and TD, which is not deserved. Good loan growth coming out of the US. Yield is about 3.6%, payout ratio is low. Dividend growth will track earnings growth. (Analysts’ price target is $110.52)

The valuation is good compared to BMO or TD. Still has decent excess capital. Could hit $110-114. (Analysts' price target: $110.62)

He used this as a proxy for the Canadian financial sector. Definitely in a downward trend with lower lows and lower highs. Maybe a good time to buy, but would be speculative at this point.

He has trimmed his position in this to a small position. It's a go-to name with a secure dividend that will rise. It's trading at its upper range though. Still a good long-term investment despite headwinds that Canadian banks face.

All Canadian banks are good value these days. But there are shorts south of the border. There is some risk in the mortgage portfolio. This one is not his favorite bank mainly because of its limited exposure to the US. Good yield. These are economy stocks. If you believe the economy is going to do OK, they are going to do just fine. Good investment.

(Past Top Pick on May 16, 2017, Up 10%) Likes their 23% presence in the U.S. after expanding by buying City National a few years ago. Enjoyed a good quarter. NAFTA, housing market headwinds--who knows what'll happen? Regardless, it's a well-diversified company that'll help buffer it during an economic slowdown. She owns it partly for the U.S. presence.

Can I hold this for the next several years and forget it? Yes. Banks in general are cheap. Cheaper certainly than they were a year ago with better growth. Growth in their model is 5% here. Good capital ratio. If you are putting new money, he would look at other banks as this one is trading at a premium compared to peers.

It has the lowest yield of the bank stocks. They are not all that differentiable for the long term. He is just not that enthralled at these levels of yield. He is not going to chase it at these prices.

He just picked this up for one of his funds. When banks sell off more than 10%, as the Candian ones have over the past year, he pays attention. There's been talk of a housing slowdown, which of course effects banks, since credit could slow down. He likes RY among the Canadian banks, because RY has U.S. exposure, and is doing a lot in technology. Safe to hold.

He generally favors US banks over Canadian. As a long-term investments, well-run Canadian banks are attractive. There is concern about competition from companies like Amazon. The American banks are benefitting from raises in interest rates that he expects to be more rapid than Canada, and the housing recovery is stronger there because housing prices are already high here. So he prefers a Citigroup or a JP Morgan to Royal. However, he doesn’t think an investor would go too far wrong with Royal because it is fairly safe and it has a high dividend.

His favourite bank in Canada. The group has had a good stiff correction. It has the diversification. Capital markets are an issue for all the banks. This is an opportunity to get a good yield and growth. He does not think risks in the housing market will affect them. (Analysts’ target: $111.44).

All of the banks showed a tremendous quarter last quarter with the exception of BMO-T. RY-T has increased their dividend. It has a dominant position in most of the areas it participates in. (Analysts’ target: $111.44).

(A Past Top Pick on May 16, 2017, Up 6.5%) Still likes it. Valuations for Canadian banks have all come bank after some richness, based on 10-year historical averages. See high earnings growth around 9% for RY. She considers Canadian banks as income stocks. With the current pullback, she sees double-digit total returns for this sector.

He wouldn't buy Canadian banks though they've defied gravity. If we see a housing slowdown, who knows? He may step in when this stock is more attractive. As for the fintech threats to this sector, RBC is already investigating fintech which is smart.

Simply the largest company in Canada and the most dominate player in personal and commercial lending. Dividends have grown at over 6% annually over the past decade. Yield 3.9%. (Analysts’ price target is $111.53 )