Research Analysts Set Expectations for BCE FY2025 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Research analysts at Scotiabank decreased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for BCE in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 19th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings of $1.96 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $2.00. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. National Bankshares reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.00.

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BCE Trading Up 2.2 %

BCE stock traded up $0.50 during trading on Monday, hitting $23.15. The company had a trading volume of 2,380,170 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,707,320. 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 50 day simple moving average of $23.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 192.94, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. BCE has a 52-week low of $21.87 and a 52-week high of $36.17.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.03%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 2,291.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in BCE by 6.8% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in BCE by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of BCE by 6.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 13,655 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in BCE by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,835 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.