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

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$41.88.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BCE. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of BCE from C$45.00 to C$42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of BCE from C$45.00 to C$41.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of TSE BCE traded down C$0.59 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting C$33.10. 3,288,297 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,813,299. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.43. BCE has a 1 year low of C$31.99 and a 1 year high of C$56.18. The company's 50-day moving average is C$36.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$42.66. The company has a market capitalization of C$30.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.9975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.05%. BCE's payout ratio is currently 185.58%.

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.