Cormark Weighs in on BCE's Q1 Earnings (NYSE:BCE)

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Investment analysts at Cormark issued their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued on Tuesday, April 22nd. Cormark analyst D. Mcfadgen forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $0.42 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. Cormark also issued estimates for BCE's FY2026 earnings at $2.05 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. National Bank Financial upgraded BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. National Bankshares reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BCE currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Down 0.6 %

BCE opened at $22.25 on Wednesday. BCE has a twelve month low of $20.28 and a twelve month high of $36.17. The company's 50-day moving average price is $22.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.34. The stock has a market cap of $20.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 185.42, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. BCE's payout ratio is 2,291.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of BCE by 217.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in BCE during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew 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 worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in BCE by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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.

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