National Bank Financial Cuts Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Research analysts at National Bank Financial reduced their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 10th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now expects that the utilities provider will earn $1.87 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $1.90. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on BCE. Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. National Bankshares reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.00.

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BCE Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE traded up $0.22 during trading on Thursday, reaching $23.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,464,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,704,061. BCE has a fifty-two week low of $21.87 and a fifty-two week high of $36.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $23.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 197.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is currently 2,291.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in BCE during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of BCE by 217.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in BCE by 1,147.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.