BCE (NYSE:BCE) Stock Rating Upgraded by National Bank Financial

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE was upgraded by research analysts at National Bank Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, April 3rd,Zacks.com reports. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for BCE's FY2025 earnings at $1.95 EPS.

Several other research firms have also commented on BCE. Bank of America lowered BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. National Bankshares reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BCE presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $40.00.

BCE Price Performance

BCE stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $20.77. 2,387,256 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,756,935. BCE has a 12-month low of $20.28 and a 12-month high of $36.17. The company has a market capitalization of $19.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 173.14, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.56. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $23.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

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BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%. Analysts forecast that BCE will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BCE. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in BCE by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 14.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 25,977 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $904,000 after purchasing an additional 3,352 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter valued at $802,000. Centiva Capital LP increased its stake in BCE by 100.6% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 20,481 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 10,273 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in BCE by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 60,123 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,096,000 after buying an additional 4,970 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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.