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BNS vs. RF: Bank of Nova Scotia vs. Regions Financial Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Regions Financial (RF)
Profile ItemBNSRF
NameBank of Nova ScotiaRegions Financial Corp.
Country/RegionCanadaUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksBanks
GICS IndustryBanksBanks
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksRegional Banks
Market Capitalization111.75 billion USD24.06 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 7, 2002March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BNS
RF
GSPC
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF), 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 Regions Financial (RF). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Regions Financial (RF). 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 Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
Total Return (1Y)44.24%22.28%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)35.89%30.40%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)12.57%8.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BNS
RF
GSPC
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF), 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 Regions Financial (RF). 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 Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.52%23.37%
Beta (5Y)1.141.00
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.53%-40.99%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.76M9.26M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BNS and RF 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 Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.950.77
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.991.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 11.46% and Regions Financial (RF) at 12.38% 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%

RF

Banks industry group

12.38%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
RF
12.38%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF): A comparison of their ROE against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 28.43% and Regions Financial (RF) at 31.29% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

BNS

Banks industry group

28.43%

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

RF

Banks industry group

31.29%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
RF
31.29%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF): 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 Regions Financial (RF) 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 Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
ROE (TTM)11.46%12.38%
ROA (TTM)0.68%1.42%
Net Margin (TTM)28.43%31.29%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 10.36% and Regions Financial (RF) at 6.25% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Regions Financial (RF) at 19.17% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at -3.41% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.36%6.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.59%1.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.41%19.17%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-10.92%0.29%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 4.84% and Regions Financial (RF) at 3.85% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

BNS

Banks industry group

4.84%

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

RF

Banks industry group

3.85%

Max
5.79%
RF
3.85%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 58.04% and Regions Financial (RF) at 43.27% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

BNS

Banks industry group

58.04%

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

RF

Banks industry group

43.27%

Max
70.75%
RF
43.27%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
Dividend Yield (TTM)4.84%3.85%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)58.04%43.27%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Regions Financial (RF) at 11.10 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

RF

Banks industry group

11.10

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
RF
11.10
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF): 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 Regions Financial (RF) 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)

Regions Financial (RF) at 1.46 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.

BNS

Banks industry group

1.76

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

RF

Banks industry group

1.46

Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
RF
1.46
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Regions Financial (RF): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Regions Financial (RF)
MetricBNSRF
P/E Ratio (TTM)16.6111.10
P/S Ratio (TTM)----
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.761.46
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----