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BNS vs. WF: Bank of Nova Scotia vs. Woori Financial Stock Comparison

How do Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF) 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 Woori Financial (WF) are both classified in the Diversified Banks sub-industry within the broader Banks industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) trades as ordinary local shares, while Woori Financial (WF) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF)
Profile ItemBNSWF
NameBank of Nova ScotiaWoori Financial Group Inc. Sponsored ADR
Country/RegionCanadaSouth Korea
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksBanks
GICS IndustryBanksBanks
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksDiversified Banks
Market Capitalization111.75 billion USD16.87 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 7, 2002October 1, 2003
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF). 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 Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
Total Return (1Y)44.24%29.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)35.89%43.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)12.57%22.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BNS
WF
GSPC
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF), 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 Woori Financial (WF). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) trades around 1.76M shares per day on average, while Woori Financial (WF) sees only 85.96K — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.52%35.97%
Beta (5Y)1.140.99
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.53%-43.52%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.76M85.96K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BNS and WF 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 Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.950.71
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.991.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 11.46% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Woori Financial (WF) at 7.93% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

BNS

Banks industry group

11.46%

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

WF

Banks industry group

7.93%

Max
19.84%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
WF
7.93%
Min
3.64%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF): 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 Woori Financial (WF) at 27.06% 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%

WF

Banks industry group

27.06%

Max
47.19%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
WF
27.06%
Min
14.93%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF): 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 Woori Financial (WF) 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 Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
ROE (TTM)11.46%7.93%
ROA (TTM)0.68%0.51%
Net Margin (TTM)28.43%27.06%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 10.36% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Woori Financial (WF) at 5.30% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Both Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at -3.41% and Woori Financial (WF) at 2.58% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.36%5.30%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.59%5.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.41%2.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-10.92%-1.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

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

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 4.84% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Woori Financial (WF) at 1,108.19% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

BNS

Banks industry group

4.84%

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

WF

Banks industry group

1,108.19%

WF
1,108.19%
Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
Q1
1.20%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Woori Financial (WF) at 32.85% 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%

WF

Banks industry group

32.85%

Max
70.75%
Q3
41.28%
WF
32.85%
Median
29.26%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
Dividend Yield (TTM)4.84%1,108.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)58.04%32.85%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Woori Financial (WF) at 8.04 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) at 16.61 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

BNS

Banks industry group

16.61

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

WF

Banks industry group

8.04

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
Q1
10.64
WF
8.04
Min
6.49
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF): 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 Woori Financial (WF) 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)

Woori Financial (WF) at 0.63 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

WF

Banks industry group

0.63

Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
WF
0.63
Min
0.59
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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) vs. Woori Financial (WF): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Banks industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and Woori Financial (WF)
MetricBNSWF
P/E Ratio (TTM)16.618.04
P/S Ratio (TTM)----
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.760.63
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----