Unigestion Holding SA Takes Position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Unigestion Holding SA purchased a new position in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 88,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,094,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BCE. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in BCE by 2.4% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 92,027 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,203,000 after acquiring an additional 2,146 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of BCE by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 723,067 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,673,000 after acquiring an additional 104,572 shares during the period. Executive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $398,000. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. boosted its position in BCE by 14.1% during the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 1,216,375 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,330,000 after purchasing an additional 150,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in BCE by 78.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,192,000 after acquiring an additional 52,966 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.97. 3,907,927 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,455,435. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.95 and a 12-month high of $41.77. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $30.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.55. The stock has a market cap of $23.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 373.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.54.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.737 dividend. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.35%. This is a boost from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 4,214.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on BCE. Edward Jones cut BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. National Bank Financial lowered 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 report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.00.

BCE Company 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.