Vest Financial LLC Raises Holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 78.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,279 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in BCE were worth $857,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in BCE by 1,147.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in BCE by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in BCE in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in BCE in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in BCE by 640.0% in the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 2,560 shares during the period. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Up 1.5 %

BCE stock traded up $0.35 on Thursday, reaching $23.61. 2,614,597 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,667,365. BCE Inc. has a one year low of $21.87 and a one year high of $38.14. 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 company has a market cap of $21.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 196.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.50.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts anticipate that BCE Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.80%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is 2,350.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BCE shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.50.

BCE Company Profile

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.