Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of BCE Q1 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for BCE in a research note issued on Tuesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will earn $0.47 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.50. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BCE's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.50 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.00 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.93 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.95 EPS.

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 (EPS) 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%.

BCE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.00.

BCE Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE BCE traded down $0.29 on Thursday, reaching $23.11. 2,128,163 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,320,102. BCE has a 12 month low of $21.87 and a 12 month high of $37.33. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $23.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.60. The company has a market cap of $21.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 192.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2,283.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCE. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of BCE by 217.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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.