BCE (NYSE:BCE) Shares Up 0.2% - What's Next?

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE shares were up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $23.01 and last traded at $23.00. Approximately 499,271 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 2,969,163 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. National Bank Financial cut shares of BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Edward Jones downgraded BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $45.00.

BCE Stock Up 1.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The business's fifty day moving average price is $25.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.16 billion, a PE ratio of 331.29, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.71%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,028.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in BCE by 3,355.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,852,025 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $64,450,000 after buying an additional 1,798,427 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in BCE by 48.7% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 3,563,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $123,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166,800 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of BCE by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 8,450,810 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $273,553,000 after purchasing an additional 905,857 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in BCE by 4.8% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 18,873,961 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $656,421,000 after purchasing an additional 864,472 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 25.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,657,533 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $127,282,000 after purchasing an additional 738,656 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.