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BMO vs. WFC: Bank of Montreal vs. Wells Fargo Stock Comparison

How do Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC) are both classified in the Diversified Banks sub-industry within the broader Banks industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
Profile ItemBMOWFC
NameBank of MontrealWells Fargo & Company
Country/RegionCanadaUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksBanks
GICS IndustryBanksBanks
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksDiversified Banks
Market Capitalization118.95 billion USD251.98 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateOctober 27, 1994June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BMO
WFC
GSPC
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
Total Return (1Y)44.12%2.40%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)35.66%31.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)13.54%14.35%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BMO
WFC
GSPC
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Wells Fargo (WFC) is heavily traded at around 14.10M shares per day, whereas Bank of Montreal (BMO) sees a more moderate 728.11K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.96%26.11%
Beta (5Y)0.930.91
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.29%-37.10%
Avg. Volume (3M)728.11K14.10M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BMO and WFC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.90-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.79-0.10

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 10.57% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 12.91% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BMO

Banks industry group

10.57%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
BMO
10.57%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%

WFC

Banks industry group

12.91%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
WFC
12.91%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their ROE against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Wells Fargo (WFC) at 27.64% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 25.66% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

BMO

Banks industry group

25.66%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
BMO
25.66%
Min
14.93%

WFC

Banks industry group

27.64%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
WFC
27.64%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their net margin against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and Wells Fargo (WFC) in Banks, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
ROE (TTM)10.57%12.91%
ROA (TTM)0.62%1.08%
Net Margin (TTM)25.66%27.64%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 12.67% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Wells Fargo (WFC) at 1.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 20.29% and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 16.57% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.67%1.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.19%4.02%
EPS Growth (YoY)20.29%16.57%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-16.98%25.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and Wells Fargo (WFC) in Banks both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and Wells Fargo (WFC) in Banks run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 3.87% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Wells Fargo (WFC) at 2.19% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, BMO the richer one.

BMO

Banks industry group

3.87%

Max
5.79%
BMO
3.87%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%

WFC

Banks industry group

2.19%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
WFC
2.19%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Wells Fargo (WFC) at 26.09% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 54.44% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

BMO

Banks industry group

54.44%

Max
70.75%
BMO
54.44%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%

WFC

Banks industry group

26.09%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
WFC
26.09%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.87%2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)54.44%26.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Wells Fargo (WFC) at 11.84 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 19.34 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for BMO’s trailing earnings.

BMO

Banks industry group

19.34

BMO
19.34
Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49

WFC

Banks industry group

11.84

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
WFC
11.84
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

P/S ratio is set aside for both Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Banks and Wells Fargo (WFC) in Banks: without a conventional revenue line, pricing per dollar of sales isn’t meaningful, and book- or earnings-based multiples make the better comparison.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Bank of Montreal (BMO) at 1.97 and Wells Fargo (WFC) at 1.59 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

BMO

Banks industry group

1.97

Max
2.28
BMO
1.97
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59

WFC

Banks industry group

1.59

Max
2.28
WFC
1.59
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59
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Bank of Montreal (BMO) vs. Wells Fargo (WFC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Wells Fargo (WFC)
MetricBMOWFC
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.3411.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)----
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.971.59
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----