COMPARE · Data as of August 28, 2026
BNS vs NTB
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. BNS scored 75.0, NTB scored 80.0 — NTB leads.
Compare another set
BNS
The Bank of Nova Scotia
62Fin
$92.39 · $112.6B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
11.6
NTB leads
NTB
The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited
73.6Fin
$59.30 · $2.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestNTB10.4x
- Fastest growthBNS+10.4%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
BNS
NTB
+10.4%B
Rev
+4.3%C+
16.7xC+
P/E
10.4xA-
11.5%B
ROE
21.1%A-
1.75B
P/B
2.03C+
3.5%B+
Yield
3.4%B
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
The companies
BNSThe Bank of Nova Scotia
Why now
Banks - Diversified · market cap $112.6b. Trading near 52-week high of $94.96 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 3 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $90.90 (implying -2% upside).
Moat
Net margin 28% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. $112.6b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Trading within 3% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction. Balance-sheet financial — book value, net interest margin, and credit loss provisions are the lever points; a rates regime change or a deterioration in the loan book moves the stock more than EPS does.
NTBThe Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited
Why now
Banks - Diversified · market cap $2.3b. 8% off the 52-week high of $64.17. PEG 0.71 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 3 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $64.00 (implying +8% upside).
Moat
Net margin 37% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 21% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Financial moat — scale of deposit base / underwriting franchise plus regulatory capital advantages. The largest players compound book value through cycles that erase smaller competitors.
Risk
Regulatory capital risk — stricter capital requirements (CCAR, Basel) can force a dividend cut or a capital raise; the largest banks are most exposed because they're held to the tightest standards.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.