Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Buys Shares of 74,184 BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 74,184 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,582,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in BCE by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network grew its position in BCE by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its position in BCE by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCE has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays decreased their price target on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on BCE in a research note on Monday. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $45.00.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE traded down $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.19. 2,194,596 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,515,094. The stock's fifty day moving average is $29.12 and its 200 day moving average is $32.25. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $23.03 and a one year high of $41.77. The firm has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 333.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.71%. This is a positive change from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE's payout ratio is 4,214.29%.

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.