AGU Fundamental Research Investment Analysis, Agrium Inc.

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Royal Bank of Canada (RY)

The Razor’s Edge

2-Year Price History

Recent Price
(4/15 4:01PM) +2.7%
$34.18
52-Week Price
$20.51 – $51.83
Market Capitalization
$46.8 Billion
Dividend Yield
6.00%
Most Recent Dividend
$2.00

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada is considered to operate in the Financial sector. They specifically operate in the Money Center Banks business segment contained within the Banking industry.

A diversified financial service company which provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis.

Ockham’s Rating

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RY Revenue

As we have often noted, in our valuation methodology, "Cash is King." Well, it goes without saying that if a company cannot produce sales then there is no ability to generate cash flow. By that logic we look very closely at revenue numbers as our second most important factor in valuing a company’s stock. We have established reasonable Price to Sales per share ranges based on historical data of the last 10 years. For, RY the high and low end of the Price to Sales per share ratios are 1.90x and 1.30x respectively.

Notice that RY’s current Price to Sales per share ratio is 1.35x, which is quite a bit below what we consider a normal Price to Sales ratio for this stock. Given normal conditions and a price of $32.35, RY is 16% below where we would expect to see it. This will beneficially factor into our final analysis of RY as it is not often that this stock sinks to these levels.

RY Cash Earnings

Cash Earnings is always one of the most important factors to review for a company and, more importantly, an investment in a stock. RY is below its historical average multiple of Cash Earnings. Looking at the last 10 years we can get a good understanding of what investors have grown to expect from RY. For example, RY’s Cash Earnings ratio per share has fluctuated between 10.99 and 16.06 over this historical timeframe. This range is based upon a proprietary weighted methodology at Ockham, but can clearly show an investor where RY is with respect to prior business periods.

So what does a Cash Earnings ratio below the historical norm mean for RY? Generally, RY’s investors have paid slightly higher stock prices for this level of Cash Earnings, which bodes well as a return to historical norms is statistically likely. However, it is never a guarantee that history gives us proper direction, particularly in fluctuating market cycles. So by utilizing a long term view and incorporating other areas of analysis (like Sales, Dividends, and management analysis), each investor can gain a more complete view of RY. Remember, that the average Cash Earnings level for RY has been 13.52, so the current Cash Earnings level of 11.85 is a positive in our view, but by no means is it overwhelming.

RY Dividends

When determining a company’s future prospects for success, Ockham Research sees analysis of dividend payments as a key additional factor. Even though it isn’t imperative for RY to shell out a dividend in order to receive a positive rating, it can be helpful to further our analysis.

The estimated annual dividend for RY is $2.00 producing a current dividend yield of 6.18%. Much like our evaluation of Sales and Cash Earnings per share, we review dividend yields from RY against the historic high and low levels over all available dividend history. Because dividends are a decision made exclusively by management, we view a healthy and rising dividend as a sign of confidence and strength. The highest dividend yield from RY over previous years was 9.75% while the lowest dividend yield was 2.11%. Management at RY has encouraged us with a current dividend yield of 4.22% above the historical median.

Peer Comparison

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Royal Bank of Canada Industry Grouping

(4/14/2009)
Company Ticker Market Cap (Ml) Latest
Price
Price/Cash Earnings Price/Sales 5-Yr. Rev.
Growth Rate
5-Yr.
Avg. ROE.
Current 10-Yr. Range* Current 10-Yr. Range*
Peer Company Averages (not incuding RY) 10.62 5.83 » 31.31 1.48 1.03 » 3.72 15.93% 17.28%
*10 year range does not include current year values
Banco Santander ADS STD $53.6 Billion $8.57 3.61 2.47 » 31.46 0.98 0.69 » 2.89 22.62% 12.36%
Royal Bank of Canada RY $46.8 Billion $33.28 11.85 8.42 » 21.30 1.35 0.77 » 2.53 10.66% 19.40%
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA BBV $39.8 Billion $10.45 4.37 3.51 » 25.20 1.16 0.90 » 3.00 17.65% 21.16%
The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. BK $35.8 Billion $31.20 24.11 7.70 » 39.45 2.04 1.44 » 5.93 20.86% 14.12%
Toronto Dominion Bank TD $33.2 Billion $39.10 10.26 8.24 » 30.50 1.38 0.95 » 2.82 12.81% 17.82%
US Bancorp USB $29.0 Billion $16.55 10.76 7.23 » 29.94 1.86 1.16 » 3.99 5.70% 20.94%
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3:05:10 PM RY $25.89 Royal Bank of Canada
3/11/2009 3:05 PM
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Key Fundamentals

RY – Royal Bank of Canada Fundamentals
Price (4/15 4:01PM) $34.18
Volume (4/15 4:01PM) 1.7 Million
Last Close Price $33.28
10 Day Average Volume 2.4 Million
13 Week Price Range $20.51 – $34.40
52 Week Price Range $20.51 – $51.83
LTM Revenue $33.6 Billion
 
Shares Outstanding (10/2008) 1.4 Billion
Market Capitalization $46.8 Billion
Shares Held By Institutions 699.9 Million
Institutional Holders 410
% Shares Held By Institutions 52.30%
Earnings Per Share (EPS) $2.81
P/E Ratio 11.60
Book Value Per Share $17.58
 
Gross Margin n/a%
Annual Dividend 2.00
Dividend Yield 6.00%
Beta 1.08
Fiscal Year Ends October