BCE (NYSE:BCE) Shares Down 1.9% - Time to Sell?

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE shares fell 1.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $26.13 and last traded at $26.38. 1,069,461 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 2,436,359 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BCE. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones cut BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, National Bank Financial cut BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.00.

BCE Stock Performance

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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.60. The company has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a PE ratio of 376.86, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.54.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.09%. This is a positive change from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE's payout ratio is presently 4,214.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 55.9% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 12,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 4,605 shares during the period. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 4.5% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 103,643 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,438 shares during the period. Old North State Trust LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 25.2% in the third quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 7,786 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 138.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,884 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 8,633 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of BCE in the third quarter valued at approximately $137,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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.

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