Should I Buy BNS? BNS 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

76.340

1 Day change

1.38%

52 Week Range

76.560

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/04

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Buy now: Trend is bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) and price is holding above the pivot (74.985), suggesting buyers are in control into the open.
No Intellectia edge today: Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- AI Stock Picker: No signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock today.
Near-term path: Immediate upside levels are 76.246 (R1) then 77.025 (R2); given you’re unwilling to wait for a “perfect” pullback, the current pre-market level (75.36) is still an acceptable entry as long as it stays above ~74.99.
Wall Street is incrementally more positive (targets raised broadly after Q4), and the latest quarter’s growth profile supports owning shares ahead of the next earnings (2026-02-27).

Technical Analysis

Trend: Bullish structure with SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200.
Momentum: MACD histogram above 0 (0.0241) but contracting, implying upside momentum is still positive but cooling.
RSI (6): 56.2 (neutral)—not overbought, room to run if buyers follow through.
Key levels: Pivot 74.985 (must-hold support for the bull case). Resistance at 76.246 (R1) and 77.025 (R2); supports 73.725 (S1) and 72.946 (S2).
Pattern-based short-term odds: Similar-pattern model suggests ~80% chance of -0.77% next day, but +0.62% next week—fits a “small dip risk / constructive week” setup.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Positioning vs. flow: Open interest put/call 1.18 = slightly defensive positioning overall, but today’s volume put/call 0.27 shows more call activity (more bullish near-term trading).
Volatility: 30D IV 18.36 vs historical vol 10.89 = options pricing in more movement than realized.
IV context: IV percentile 67.2 (elevated vs its own history), suggesting options are not “cheap.”
Activity: Today’s volume 167 (~in line with recent averages) and open interest 12,830 (healthy liquidity).

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Strong latest quarter (2025/Q4): Revenue +12.86% YoY, Net Income +38.33% YoY, EPS +36.07% YoY.
- Analyst targets broadly raised after Q4 results, supporting institutional confidence.
- Next earnings date: 2026-02-27 (Pre-Market)—potential catalyst if momentum in ROE/improving outlook continues.
- Trading flows: Option volume skewed bullish (calls leading today).

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Resistance overhead: Price is approaching R1 (76.246); near-term upside could stall without strong follow-through.
- Momentum cooling: MACD is positive but contracting—bull trend intact, but not accelerating.
- Options positioning: Put-heavy open interest (P/C 1.18) implies some investors remain hedged/cautious.
- No news catalysts in the last week to fuel a breakout move.
- No notable conviction signals: Hedge funds and insiders both reported as Neutral; no recent congress trading data.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q4
Revenue: $9.529B, +12.86% YoY (clear top-line acceleration).
Net Income: $2.104B, +38.33% YoY (profitability improving faster than revenue).
EPS: 1.66, +36.07% YoY (strong earnings leverage).
Overall read-through: Growth and earnings power improved meaningfully in Q4, consistent with the wave of price-target increases.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: A cluster of price target raises (late Nov through Dec 3) following a better-than-expected Q4; rating stance is mixed but improving.
Notable actions:
- TD Securities: Buy, PT raised to C$104.
- Canaccord: Buy, PT raised to C$100.
- UBS: Buy, PT raised to C$106.
- Raymond James: Outperform, PT C$108 (initiation highlights potential multiple expansion on improved ROE).
- RBC: Sector Perform (positive on Q4 but flags lower returns/higher risk premia).
- BofA: Neutral, PT raised to $71.
- Barclays: Equal Weight, PT raised to C$97.
- Desjardins: Hold, PT raised to C$100.
Wall Street pros vs cons:
- Pros: improving ROE outlook, earnings beat drivers, valuation lag vs peers could narrow.
- Cons: risk premium/return profile still viewed as less attractive than best-in-class peers; international segment has been a relative weak spot.

10 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast BNS stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for BNS is 72.63 USD with a low forecast of 66.95 USD and a high forecast of 77.74 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

4 Buy

6 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 75.300

Low

66.95

Averages

72.63

High

77.74

Current: 75.300

Low

66.95

Averages

72.63

High

77.74

RBC Capital

Sector Perform

maintain

$86 -> $97

AI Analysis

2025-12-03

Reason

RBC Capital

Price Target

$86 -> $97

AI Analysis

2025-12-03

maintain

Sector Perform

Reason

RBC Capital raised the firm's price target on Scotiabank to C$97 from C$86 and keeps a Sector Perform rating on the shares. The company's Q4 results were better than anticipated in GBM, Global Banking and Markets, partially offset by weaker than expected earnings in International Banking, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The stock's valuation should be below the group average given lower returns with higher risk premia, RBC added.

BofA

Neutral

maintain

$69 -> $71

2025-12-03

Reason

BofA

Price Target

$69 -> $71

2025-12-03

maintain

Neutral

Reason

BofA raised the firm's price target on Scotiabank to $71 from $69 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares after the bank reported a core Q4 EPS beat driven by higher pre-tax pre-provision income. The firm cites an improving ROE outlook and updated forecasts for its raised target.

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BNS Should I Buy

BNS Should I Buy

Should You Buy Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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