BCE (NYSE:BCE) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE posted its earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03, Zacks reports. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%. BCE updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.890-2.000 EPS.

BCE Stock Down 5.9 %

Shares of BCE stock traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.14. The company had a trading volume of 7,888,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,432,294. BCE has a 52-week low of $21.87 and a 52-week high of $38.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 184.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.01 and a 200 day moving average of $29.72.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.58%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is currently 2,350.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on BCE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America downgraded shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Edward Jones lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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.