BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Sold by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,862,807 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 588,003 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank owned approximately 0.86% of BCE worth $273,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. grew its position in BCE by 3.9% during the third quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. First Affirmative Financial Network increased its holdings in BCE by 6.1% in the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its position in shares of BCE by 6.8% in the third 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 during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BCE shares. National Bank Financial cut BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Edward Jones lowered shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,949,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,450,951. The company has a market cap of $23.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 373.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.54. BCE Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.95 and a 12-month high of $41.77. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $30.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.55. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.737 dividend. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,214.29%.

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.