BCE (NYSE:BCE) Trading Down 0.5% - Time to Sell?

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE's stock price traded down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $26.76 and last traded at $26.83. 493,757 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 2,425,930 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.97.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Edward Jones lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. National Bank Financial lowered shares of BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has an average 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 quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a PE ratio of 380.71, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.54. The business's 50-day moving average is $30.49 and its 200 day moving average is $32.72.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.05%. This is an increase from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE's payout ratio is currently 4,214.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 121.2% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its position in BCE by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 1,600 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in BCE by 321.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the third quarter valued at about $65,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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