Tearsheet

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)


Market Price (12/18/2025): $71.435 | Market Cap: $88.7 Bil
Sector: Financials | Industry: Diversified Banks

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)


Market Price (12/18/2025): $71.435
Market Cap: $88.7 Bil
Sector: Financials
Industry: Diversified Banks

Investment Highlights Why It Matters Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?

1. Generates cash flow

The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.

2. Riding a trend

Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow


0 Attractive yield
Total YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 12%, Dividend Yield is 3.0%, ERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is 7.7%, FCF Yield is 5.7%
Trading close to highs
Dist 52W High is -2.1%, Dist 3Y High is -2.1%
Debt is significant
Net D/ENet Debt/Equity. Debt net of cash. Negative indicates net cash. Equity is taken as the Market Capitalization is 233%
1 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 15%, FCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 14%, CFO LTM is 5.4 Bil, FCF LTM is 5.1 Bil
  Key risks
BNS key risks include [1] deteriorating credit quality, Show more.
2 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 17%
  
3 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Fintech & Digital Payments, AI in Financial Services, Sustainable Finance, and Digital & Alternative Assets. Show more.
  
0 Attractive yield
Total YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 12%, Dividend Yield is 3.0%, ERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is 7.7%, FCF Yield is 5.7%
1 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 15%, FCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 14%, CFO LTM is 5.4 Bil, FCF LTM is 5.1 Bil
2 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 17%
3 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Fintech & Digital Payments, AI in Financial Services, Sustainable Finance, and Digital & Alternative Assets. Show more.
4 Trading close to highs
Dist 52W High is -2.1%, Dist 3Y High is -2.1%
5 Debt is significant
Net D/ENet Debt/Equity. Debt net of cash. Negative indicates net cash. Equity is taken as the Market Capitalization is 233%
6 Key risks
BNS key risks include [1] deteriorating credit quality, Show more.

Valuation, Metrics & Events

BNS Stock


Why The Stock Moved


Qualitative Assessment

AI Generated Analysis | Feedback

Here are the key points explaining the 15.8% movement in Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) stock between August 31, 2025, and December 18, 2025: 1. Strong Q3 2025 Financial Performance: Scotiabank reported a significant rebound in its third-quarter 2025 results on August 26, 2025, revealing a 32% year-over-year increase in net income and a 31% rise in diluted earnings per share, which positively impacted investor sentiment. 2. Better-than-Expected Q4 2025 Earnings: The bank's fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, released on December 2, 2025, exceeded analyst expectations with a reported net income of $2.21 billion, up from $1.69 billion in the same period last year, primarily driven by strong performance in its wealth management and capital markets businesses.

Show more

Stock Movement Drivers

Return vs. Risk


Price Returns Compared

 202020212022202320242025Total [1]
Returns
BNS Return2%39%-28%6%18%43%82%
Peers Return4%38%-14%18%19%50%160%
S&P 500 Return16%27%-19%24%23%14%108%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
BNS Win Rate58%50%50%58%58%75% 
Peers Win Rate60%65%45%52%55%82% 
S&P 500 Win Rate58%75%42%67%75%73% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
BNS Max Drawdown-42%-1%-32%-13%-5%-15% 
Peers Max Drawdown-42%-1%-24%-11%-10%-9% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-31%-1%-25%-1%-2%-15% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: RY, TD, BMO, CM, JPM.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 12/17/2025 (YTD)

How Low Can It Go

Unique KeyEventBNSS&P 500
2022 Inflation Shock2022 Inflation Shock  
2022 Inflation Shock% Loss% Loss-46.5%-25.4%
2022 Inflation Shock% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven86.8%34.1%
2022 Inflation ShockTime to BreakevenTime to BreakevenNot Fully Recovered days464 days
2020 Covid Pandemic2020 Covid Pandemic  
2020 Covid Pandemic% Loss% Loss-43.0%-33.9%
2020 Covid Pandemic% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven75.4%51.3%
2020 Covid PandemicTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven333 days148 days
2018 Correction2018 Correction  
2018 Correction% Loss% Loss-26.1%-19.8%
2018 Correction% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven35.4%24.7%
2018 CorrectionTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven885 days120 days
2008 Global Financial Crisis2008 Global Financial Crisis  
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Loss% Loss-65.7%-56.8%
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven191.9%131.3%
2008 Global Financial CrisisTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven660 days1480 days

Compare to C, JPM, BAC, WFC, RY


In The Past

Bank of Nova Scotia's stock fell -46.5% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 3/22/2022. A -46.5% loss requires a 86.8% gain to breakeven.

Preserve Wealth

Limiting losses and compounding gains is essential to preserving wealth over time.

Asset Allocation

Actively managed asset allocation strategies protect wealth. Learn more.

About Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)

Better Bets than Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)

Latest Trefis Analyses

Title
0ARTICLES

Trade Ideas

Select past ideas related to BNS. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.

Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
WU_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025WUWestern UnionDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
14.1%14.1%-0.4%
COIN_11212025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11212025COINCoinbase GlobalMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
5.1%5.1%0.0%
PYPL_11142025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11142025PYPLPayPalDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-2.4%-2.4%-7.5%
V_11142025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11142025VVisaMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
4.6%4.6%-2.7%
WD_11072025_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy11072025WDWalker & DunlopDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
-9.0%-9.0%-11.0%
Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
WU_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025WUWestern UnionDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
14.1%14.1%-0.4%
COIN_11212025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11212025COINCoinbase GlobalMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
5.1%5.1%0.0%
PYPL_11142025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11142025PYPLPayPalDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-2.4%-2.4%-7.5%
V_11142025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11142025VVisaMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
4.6%4.6%-2.7%
WD_11072025_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy11072025WDWalker & DunlopDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
-9.0%-9.0%-11.0%

Recent Active Movers

Recent Active Movers

More From Trefis

Peer Comparisons for Bank of Nova Scotia

Peers to compare with:

Financials

BNSRYTDBMOCMJPMMedian
NameBank of .Royal Ba.Toronto-.Bank of .Canadian.JPMorgan. 
Mkt Price71.48165.2991.15128.4191.59314.98110.00
Mkt Cap88.7206.8135.892.974.2870.1114.3
Rev LTM37,09766,53261,28136,09929,013179,43049,189
Op Inc LTM-------
FCF LTM5,06052,977-71,7918,51112,729-119,7486,786
FCF 3Y Avg17,16832,395-28,72613,85511,289-65,10712,572
CFO LTM5,40755,220-69,64610,24013,838-119,7487,824
CFO 3Y Avg17,59434,813-26,67015,51112,360-65,10713,936

Growth & Margins

BNSRYTDBMOCMJPMMedian
NameBank of .Royal Ba.Toronto-.Bank of .Canadian.JPMorgan. 
Rev Chg LTM10.4%15.7%8.9%12.7%13.7%8.6%11.5%
Rev Chg 3Y Avg6.1%10.9%10.4%11.4%10.1%13.4%10.7%
Rev Chg Q12.9%14.2%7.8%11.3%14.4%8.8%12.1%
QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM3.0%3.3%1.9%2.7%3.4%2.1%2.9%
Op Mgn LTM-------
Op Mgn 3Y Avg-------
QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM-------
CFO/Rev LTM14.6%83.0%-113.7%28.4%47.7%-66.7%21.5%
CFO/Rev 3Y Avg53.7%57.9%-47.6%47.5%47.8%-36.4%47.6%
FCF/Rev LTM13.6%79.6%-117.2%23.6%43.9%-66.7%18.6%
FCF/Rev 3Y Avg52.5%53.7%-51.2%42.5%43.6%-36.4%43.1%

Valuation

BNSRYTDBMOCMJPMMedian
NameBank of .Royal Ba.Toronto-.Bank of .Canadian.JPMorgan. 
Mkt Cap88.7206.8135.892.974.2870.1114.3
P/S2.43.12.22.62.64.92.6
P/EBIT-------
P/E11.410.26.610.78.815.010.4
P/CFO16.43.7-1.99.15.4-7.34.6
Total Yield11.8%9.8%15.1%9.4%11.4%6.7%10.6%
Dividend Yield3.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
FCF Yield 3Y Avg28.6%-----7.5%10.5%
D/E3.5----0.62.1
Net D/E2.3-----0.31.0

Returns

BNSRYTDBMOCMJPMMedian
NameBank of .Royal Ba.Toronto-.Bank of .Canadian.JPMorgan. 
1M Rtn6.1%12.3%11.9%5.2%5.5%4.9%5.8%
3M Rtn11.9%14.1%17.8%-0.1%15.5%1.5%13.0%
6M Rtn35.2%31.5%30.9%23.3%36.8%16.1%31.2%
12M Rtn38.1%38.6%82.4%36.6%45.6%34.9%38.4%
3Y Rtn80.3%98.8%66.9%67.8%165.0%162.3%89.5%
1M Excs Rtn5.4%11.6%11.2%4.4%4.7%4.1%5.1%
3M Excs Rtn10.6%12.9%16.5%-1.2%13.9%-0.3%11.8%
6M Excs Rtn22.8%19.1%18.5%10.9%24.4%3.7%18.8%
12M Excs Rtn25.4%26.6%68.9%24.3%33.7%23.0%26.0%
3Y Excs Rtn3.1%23.1%-10.7%-7.6%85.3%84.3%13.1%

Financials

Segment Financials

Revenue by Segment

$ Mil20252024202320222021
Canadian Banking13,03312,80712,03010,89810,299
International Banking11,86611,0419,7279,61810,810
Global Wealth Management5,5895,2915,3815,3804,584
Global Banking and Markets5,0615,5525,1725,0235,382
Other-1,879-2,477-894333261
Net income from investments in associated corporations    -242
Total33,67032,21431,41631,25231,094


Net Income by Segment
$ Mil20252024202320222021
Canadian Banking3,7773,9844,7634,1552,536
International Banking2,5812,4492,4181,823980
Global Banking and Markets1,4781,7681,9112,0751,955
Global Wealth Management1,4181,4311,5561,5651,252
Other-1,496-2,294-732655
Total7,7587,3389,9169,6246,778


Price Behavior

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date11282025
Short Interest: Shares Quantity12,890,273
Short Interest: % Change Since 11152025-34.5%
Average Daily Volume1,678,881
Days-to-Cover Short Interest7.68
Basic Shares Quantity1,241,000,000
Short % of Basic Shares1.0%

SEC Filings

Expand for More

Report DateFiling DateFiling
430202160120216-K 4/30/2021
131202122320216-K 1/31/2021
731202082520206-K 7/31/2020
430202052620206-K 4/30/2020
131202022520206-K 1/31/2020
731201982720196-K 7/31/2019
430201952820196-K 4/30/2019
131201922620196-K 1/31/2019
731201882820186-K 7/31/2018
430201852920186-K 4/30/2018
131201822720186-K 1/31/2018
731201782920176-K 7/31/2017
430201753020176-K 4/30/2017
131201722820176-K 1/31/2017
731201683020166-K 7/31/2016
430201653120166-K 4/30/2016