National Bank Financial Lowers Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Research analysts at National Bank Financial decreased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for BCE in a research report issued on Thursday, January 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.67 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $1.92. National Bank Financial currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on BCE. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Edward Jones cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

BCE Price Performance

BCE opened at $23.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 342.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.20. BCE has a 52-week low of $22.18 and a 52-week high of $41.77.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. bought a new position in shares of BCE during the second quarter valued at $1,064,000. AGF Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 5,036.0% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,354,413 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,842,000 after buying an additional 1,328,042 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.6% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,191,208 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,559,000 after buying an additional 41,655 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.2% during the second quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 145,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,721,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of BCE by 36.0% during the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 15,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,067 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.737 dividend. This is a boost from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s payout ratio is currently 4,214.29%.

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.