Graeme Ashley Hepworth Sells 1,463 Shares of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Stock

Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) (NYSE:RY) insider Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 1,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$297.19, for a total transaction of C$434,788.97.

Graeme Ashley Hepworth also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 22nd, Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 1,463 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$284.86, for a total transaction of C$416,750.18.
• On Friday, May 22nd, Graeme Ashley Hepworth sold 1,463 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock. The shares were sold at an average price of C$261.83, for a total transaction of C$383,057.29.

Royal Bank of Canada Trading Up 0.5%

RY stock opened at C$295.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$281.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$250.30. Royal Bank of Canada has a 12 month low of C$175.50 and a 12 month high of C$306.38. The company has a market cap of C$409.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.05.

Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) (NYSE:RY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The financial services provider reported C$3.90 earnings per share for the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada had a return on equity of 15.95% and a net margin of 18.40%.The business had revenue of C$17.45 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Royal Bank of Canada will post 12.3454675 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 24th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a $1.76 dividend. This is an increase from Royal Bank of Canada’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. This represents a $7.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank of Canada’s payout ratio is currently 41.35%.

Trending Headlines about Royal Bank of Canada

Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Bank of Canada this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada received a consensus analyst recommendation of “Moderate Buy”, which suggests Wall Street views remain favorable and may be supporting the stock. Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: The share price crossed above its 200-day moving average, a bullish technical signal that can attract momentum buyers and indicate improving investor confidence. Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders sold shares, including a large sale by Director David Ian McKay and additional sales by Katherine Gibson, Graeme Ashley Hepworth, and Bruce Washington Ross. Insider selling can weigh on sentiment because investors may view it as a sign of caution, even if it is often routine diversification.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on RY. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from C$275.00 to C$280.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Desjardins lifted their price target on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from C$262.00 to C$275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. National Bank Financial upped their price objective on Royal Bank of Canada from C$257.00 to C$271.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Royal Bank of Canada from C$265.50 to C$270.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Royal Bank of Canada from C$226.00 to C$232.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$262.96.

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 101,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our more than 19 million clients in Canada, the U.S.