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

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE's share price traded down 1.9% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $24.06 and last traded at $24.36. 1,371,868 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 2,473,485 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Edward Jones lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

BCE Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.32. 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 company has a market cap of $21.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 341.07, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54.

BCE Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is a boost from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,214.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in BCE by 2.6% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of BCE by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network boosted its position in shares of BCE by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in BCE by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in BCE by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.