Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for BCE Q3 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for BCE in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will earn $0.51 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.56. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on BCE. Edward Jones downgraded BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America downgraded BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $40.00.

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BCE Stock Performance

BCE traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $23.62. 2,595,763 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,274,711. 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 firm has a market cap of $21.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 196.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. BCE has a one year low of $21.87 and a one year high of $36.94. The stock's fifty day moving average is $23.41 and its 200 day moving average is $28.48.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 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 Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.80%. BCE's payout ratio is currently 2,283.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in BCE in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in BCE by 217.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 790 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in BCE during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in BCE by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. 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.