Claret Asset Management Corp Boosts Stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Claret Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 70.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 252,457 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 104,227 shares during the period. BCE comprises 0.9% of Claret Asset Management Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Claret Asset Management Corp's holdings in BCE were worth $5,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of BCE by 25.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,657,533 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $127,282,000 after purchasing an additional 738,656 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in BCE by 78.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,192,000 after buying an additional 52,966 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter worth about $9,522,000. Tobam lifted its holdings in BCE by 198.0% during the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 71,971 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,668,000 after buying an additional 47,816 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in BCE in the 4th quarter valued at about $17,271,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BCE traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $22.22. 2,521,536 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,795,945. The company has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a PE ratio of 185.13, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.56. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.28 and a 12 month high of $36.17. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $22.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.34.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2,291.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BCE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. National Bank Financial upgraded BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.00.

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.