BNS vs. FCNCA: Bank of Nova Scotia vs. First Citizens BancShares Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) are both classified in the Diversified Banks sub-industry within the broader Banks industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) trades around 1.76M shares per day on average, while First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) sees only 68.57K — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 11.46% and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at 10.98% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 28.43% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at 25.21% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) in Banks, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 10.36% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at -2.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at -3.41% and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at -12.76% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) 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-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) 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

Dividends

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 4.84% offers top-quartile income, while First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at 0.36% sits in the bottom quartile — a wide gap in cash returned to shareholders.

First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at 4.31% retains more earnings than its industry usually does; Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 58.04% distributes an above-typical share — opposite departures from the band, with the risk sitting on BNS’s side.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at 11.68 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 16.61 sits in the richer quartile — BNS needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

P/S ratio is set aside for both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) 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.

First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) at 1.29 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 1.76 carries an above-peer premium to book — BNS is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics