BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$45.36.

BCE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price target on BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. National Bankshares cut their price objective on BCE from C$48.00 to C$42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Securities dropped their price target on BCE from C$43.00 to C$39.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th.

BCE Stock Down 1.2 %

BCE traded down C$0.47 during trading on Thursday, hitting C$37.27. 5,792,549 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,152,048. The company's 50 day simple moving average is C$44.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$45.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43. BCE has a 12-month low of C$36.95 and a 12-month high of C$56.18. The stock has a market capitalization of C$34.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.9975 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.71%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 185.58%.

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.