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

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 Trading Down 5.9 %

Shares of BCE traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $22.14. 7,888,813 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,432,294. The business has a fifty day moving average of $24.01 and a 200-day moving average of $29.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.20 billion, a PE ratio of 184.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.57. BCE has a 1-year low of $21.87 and a 1-year high of $38.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.6965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.58%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,350.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BCE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Edward Jones downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America downgraded BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $45.00.

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.