BNS vs. PNFP: Bank of Nova Scotia vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) both belong to the Banks industry, though BNS is classified under Diversified Banks while PNFP falls under Regional Banks.

Company profile comparison for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Profile Item	BNS	PNFP
Name	Bank of Nova Scotia	Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc.
Country/Region	Canada	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Banks	Banks
GICS Industry	Banks	Banks
GICS Sub-Industry	Diversified Banks	Regional Banks
Market Capitalization	111.75 billion USD	15.21 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 7, 2002	August 22, 2000
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BNS

PNFP

GSPC

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP), 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
Total Return (1Y)	44.24%	22.69%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	35.89%	18.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	12.57%	2.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BNS

PNFP

GSPC

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP), 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	20.52%	26.95%
Beta (5Y)	1.14	1.02
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-40.53%	-57.43%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.76M	1.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BNS and PNFP 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.95	0.68
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.99	0.99

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 11.46% and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 9.56% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BNS

Banks industry group

11.46%

Max: 19.84%
Q3: 13.67%
Median: 11.49%
BNS: 11.46%
Q1: 9.50%
Min: 3.64%

PNFP

Banks industry group

9.56%

Max: 19.84%
Q3: 13.67%
Median: 11.49%
PNFP: 9.56%
Q1: 9.50%
Min: 3.64%

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): A comparison of their ROE against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 28.43% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 25.54% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

BNS

Banks industry group

28.43%

Max: 47.19%
Q3: 35.25%
Median: 31.21%
BNS: 28.43%
Q1: 27.11%
Min: 14.93%

PNFP

Banks industry group

25.54%

Max: 47.19%
Q3: 35.25%
Median: 31.21%
Q1: 27.11%
PNFP: 25.54%
Min: 14.93%

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
ROE (TTM)	11.46%	9.56%
ROA (TTM)	0.68%	1.10%
Net Margin (TTM)	28.43%	25.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)	--	--
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 10.36% and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 17.76% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 35.40% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at -3.41% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.36%	17.76%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.59%	11.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.41%	35.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-10.92%	4.02%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 4.84% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 1.72% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, BNS the richer one.

BNS

Banks industry group

4.84%

Max: 5.79%
BNS: 4.84%
Q3: 3.18%
Median: 2.39%
Q1: 1.20%
Min: 0.00%

PNFP

Banks industry group

1.72%

Max: 5.79%
Q3: 3.18%
Median: 2.39%
PNFP: 1.72%
Q1: 1.20%
Min: 0.00%

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 23.29% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 58.04% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

BNS

Banks industry group

58.04%

Max: 70.75%
BNS: 58.04%
Q3: 41.28%
Median: 29.26%
Q1: 18.98%
Min: 0.00%

PNFP

Banks industry group

23.29%

Max: 70.75%
Q3: 41.28%
Median: 29.26%
PNFP: 23.29%
Q1: 18.98%
Min: 0.00%

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.84%	1.72%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.04%	23.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 13.47 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.

BNS

Banks industry group

16.61

Max: 18.16
BNS: 16.61
Q3: 13.75
Median: 11.81
Q1: 10.64
Min: 6.49

PNFP

Banks industry group

13.47

Max: 18.16
Q3: 13.75
PNFP: 13.47
Median: 11.81
Q1: 10.64
Min: 6.49

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): 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 Nova Scotia (BNS) in Banks and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) 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)

Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) at 1.10 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 1.76 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

BNS

Banks industry group

1.76

Max: 2.28
BNS: 1.76
Q3: 1.58
Median: 1.32
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.59

PNFP

Banks industry group

1.10

Max: 2.28
Q3: 1.58
Median: 1.32
Q1: 1.10
PNFP: 1.10
Min: 0.59

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
Metric	BNS	PNFP
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.61	13.47
P/S Ratio (TTM)	--	--
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	1.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--