National Bank Financial Lowers Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) – Analysts at National Bank Financial lowered their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a note issued to investors on Thursday, January 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $2.38 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $2.67. National Bank Financial currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $3.11 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. National Bankshares cut their price target on shares of BCE from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on BCE from C$37.50 to C$33.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Securities dropped their price target on shares of BCE from C$37.00 to C$32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$41.88.

BCE Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of BCE opened at C$34.32 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of C$31.31 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. BCE has a 12 month low of C$31.99 and a 12 month high of C$56.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is C$37.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $0.9975 dividend. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s payout ratio is 185.58%.

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.