Stephens Inc. AR Lowers Position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Stephens Inc. AR cut its holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 72.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,648 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 22,788 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in BCE were worth $200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCE. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in BCE by 1,147.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of BCE by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of BCE by 640.0% during the fourth quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 2,560 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of BCE traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $23.57. 1,795,595 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,479,624. BCE Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.87 and a 1-year high of $38.06. 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 company has a market capitalization of $21.50 billion, a PE ratio of 196.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50 day moving average of $23.46 and a 200 day moving average of $29.15.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%. Equities research analysts anticipate that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.6965 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.82%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2,350.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.50.

BCE 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.