BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Receives C$45.36 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$45.36.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BCE shares. National Bank Financial downgraded BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Desjardins lifted their price objective on BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of BCE from C$47.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of BCE from C$43.00 to C$39.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th.

BCE Trading Up 0.4 %

TSE BCE opened at C$37.42 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is C$44.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$45.38. BCE has a twelve month low of C$36.95 and a twelve month high of C$56.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43. The company has a market capitalization of C$34.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.40, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.9975 dividend. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 185.58%.

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.