Berkeley Capital Partners LLC Sells 20,762 Shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Berkeley Capital Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 53.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,747 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 20,762 shares during the quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC's holdings in BCE were worth $411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of BCE by 217.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in BCE by 1,147.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BCE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. National Bankshares restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of BCE stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $22.53. The stock had a trading volume of 2,257,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,716,915. BCE Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.87 and a 12-month high of $36.17. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $23.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 187.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57.

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

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE's payout ratio is 2,291.67%.

BCE 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.