National Bank Financial Predicts Higher Earnings for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Stock analysts at National Bank Financial lifted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued on Wednesday, March 26th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.95 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $1.87. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%.

BCE has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. National Bankshares reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $39.00 price objective 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 issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.00.

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BCE Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BCE traded up $0.40 during trading on Monday, reaching $22.22. The stock had a trading volume of 643,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,058,523. BCE has a 52 week low of $21.62 and a 52 week high of $36.17. The firm's fifty day moving average is $23.55 and its 200 day moving average is $26.74. The stock has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 185.13, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2,291.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in BCE by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in BCE by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 13,655 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in BCE by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,835 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 0.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 148,741 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during 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.