Graeme Ashley Hepworth Sells 308 Shares of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Stock

Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) (NYSE:RY) Senior Officer Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 308 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$175.12, for a total transaction of C$53,938.25.

Royal Bank of Canada Price Performance

Shares of RY stock traded up C$1.47 on Thursday, hitting C$175.58. 8,055,318 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,594,097. The company’s fifty day moving average is C$174.26 and its 200 day moving average is C$165.78. Royal Bank of Canada has a 1-year low of C$127.60 and a 1-year high of C$180.45. The company has a market capitalization of C$247.57 billion, a PE ratio of 15.55, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.84.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. This is a boost from Royal Bank of Canada’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada’s dividend payout ratio is 50.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on RY shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from C$195.00 to C$193.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays upgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Royal Bank of Canada from C$188.00 to C$191.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. CIBC raised their price objective on Royal Bank of Canada from C$167.00 to C$176.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Royal Bank of Canada from C$167.00 to C$197.00 in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of C$176.58.

Royal Bank of Canada Company Profile

Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses.