Insider Selling: Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) Senior Officer Sells 1,538 Shares of Stock

Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY) (NYSE:RY) Senior Officer Douglas Antony Guzman sold 1,538 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$177.09, for a total transaction of C$272,363.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 25 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$4,427.24. This trade represents a 98.40 % decrease in their position.

Douglas Antony Guzman also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, October 2nd, Douglas Antony Guzman sold 7,500 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock. The shares were sold at an average price of C$166.96, for a total transaction of C$1,252,207.50.
• On Thursday, September 26th, Douglas Antony Guzman sold 17,000 shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$167.95, for a total value of C$2,855,150.00.

Royal Bank of Canada Stock Performance

Shares of Royal Bank of Canada stock traded down C$0.24 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting C$172.77. The company had a trading volume of 1,144,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,715,868. The company has a 50 day moving average of C$173.33 and a 200 day moving average of C$160.79. Royal Bank of Canada has a 52-week low of C$127.60 and a 52-week high of C$180.45. The stock has a market capitalization of C$243.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G 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. Investors of record on Monday, January 27th will be given a dividend of $1.48 per share. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is a boost from Royal Bank of Canada’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.42. Royal Bank of Canada’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on RY shares. CIBC lifted their target price on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from C$167.00 to C$176.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from C$188.00 to C$191.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Royal Bank of Canada from C$167.00 to C$197.00 in a report on Monday, November 25th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Royal Bank of Canada from C$162.00 to C$180.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, TD Securities downgraded shares of Royal Bank of Canada from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from C$178.00 to C$180.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.