Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $6.57 Million in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 283,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,565,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in shares of BCE by 0.9% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 220,709 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,686,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in BCE by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in BCE by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 113,569 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,952,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in BCE by 10.7% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,545 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter valued at approximately $262,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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BCE Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE BCE traded up $0.11 on Wednesday, hitting $22.64. 2,593,930 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,710,170. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $23.59 and a 200 day moving average of $27.22. BCE Inc. has a twelve month low of $21.87 and a twelve month high of $36.17. The company has a market capitalization of $20.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 188.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted 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%. As a group, analysts expect that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.6965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.31%. BCE's payout ratio is currently 2,291.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BCE shares. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America downgraded BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.00.

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.