Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS) Upgraded at National Bank Financial

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 29th, 2026

National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS – Free Report) (NYSE:BNS) from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has C$142.00 price objective on the bank’s stock, up from their previous price objective of C$128.00.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$112.00 to C$117.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. TD raised shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from C$124.00 to C$141.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$137.00 to C$139.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Bank of Nova Scotia from C$121.00 to C$127.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods set a C$148.00 target price on Bank of Nova Scotia and gave the company a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$128.86.

Read Our Latest Report on Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of TSE:BNS opened at C$128.36 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of C$123.74 and a 200 day moving average price of C$111.18. The company has a market capitalization of C$156.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.30. Bank of Nova Scotia has a 12-month low of C$85.07 and a 12-month high of C$131.72.

Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS – Get Free Report) (NYSE:BNS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 25th. The bank reported C$2.28 EPS for the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The company had revenue of C$10.54 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Bank of Nova Scotia will post 7.1286267 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of Nova Scotia Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a dividend of $1.14 per share. This is a boost from Bank of Nova Scotia’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 7th. Bank of Nova Scotia’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.69%.

Key Bank of Nova Scotia News

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank of Nova Scotia this week:

Positive Sentiment: TD Securities upgraded BNS to “Buy,” signaling increased confidence in the bank’s earnings outlook and potential for further share-price appreciation. Bank of Nova Scotia Upgraded at TD Securities TD Upgrades Bank of Nova Scotia to Buy
Positive Sentiment: National Bank Financial raised BNS to “Outperform,” while analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Raymond James indicated that the stock could rise. These calls reinforce a generally constructive view among financial-sector analysts. BNS Raised to Outperform at National Bank Financial BNS Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe Bruyette and Woods BNS Stock Price Expected to Rise, Raymond James
Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America and Canaccord Genuity published forecasts calling for strong price appreciation, adding to the evidence that some analysts see upside from current levels. Royal Bank of Canada Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BNS Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BNS Canaccord Genuity Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BNS
Neutral Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity separately assigned BNS a “Hold” rating, indicating that the firm sees balanced risk and reward rather than a clear catalyst for immediate outperformance. Bank of Nova Scotia Gets a Hold from Canaccord Genuity

About Bank of Nova Scotia

(Get Free Report)

Scotiabank’s vision is to be our clients’ most trusted financial partner and deliver sustainable, profitable growth. Guided by our purpose: ‘for every future,’ we help our clients, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products, and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With assets of approximately $1.5 trillion (as at January 31, 2026), Scotiabank is one of the largest banks in North America by assets, and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS).