BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Purchased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 220,709 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in BCE were worth $7,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of BCE by 3,480.0% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,074 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of BCE by 121.2% in the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its position in shares of BCE by 60.0% in the second quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 1,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in shares of BCE by 321.0% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the second quarter worth $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE BCE opened at $27.01 on Tuesday. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.45 and a 12 month high of $41.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $24.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 385.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $31.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.11.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.737 per share. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.91%. This is an increase from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is 4,228.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. National Bank Financial downgraded shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

BCE 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.