BCE (TSE:BCE) Price Target Lowered to C$35.00 at National Bankshares

BCE (TSE:BCE - Free Report) NYSE: BCE had its price target trimmed by National Bankshares from C$37.00 to C$35.00 in a research note published on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. TD Securities cut their price target on shares of BCE from C$37.00 to C$32.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a research note on Monday, November 11th. National Bank Financial downgraded BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of C$41.88.

BCE Stock Up 2.6 %

BCE stock traded up C$0.88 during midday trading on Friday, reaching C$34.40. The stock had a trading volume of 3,670,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,168,862. The stock has a market capitalization of C$31.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is C$37.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$43.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65. BCE has a 1-year low of C$31.99 and a 1-year high of C$56.18.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.9975 per share. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is 185.58%.

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.