BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.00.

BCE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones cut shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Bank of America lowered BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in BCE by 2.6% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. increased its stake in shares of BCE by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $413,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its position in shares of BCE by 6.8% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in BCE by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Price Performance

NYSE BCE traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $22.81. The stock had a trading volume of 4,367,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,638,113. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.75. The company has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 325.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.56. BCE has a 52-week low of $21.87 and a 52-week high of $41.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.93%. BCE's payout ratio is 4,028.57%.

About BCE

BCE Inc, a communications company, provides wireless, wireline, Internet, and television (TV) services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in Canada. The company operates through two segments, Bell Communication and Technology Services, and Bell Media. The Bell Communication and Technology Services segment provides wireless products and services including mobile data and voice plans and devices; wireline products and services comprising data, including internet access, internet protocol television, cloud-based services, and business solutions, as well as voice, and other communication services and products; and satellite TV and connectivity services for residential, small and medium-sized business, government, and large enterprise customers.