National Bank Financial Boosts Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities researchers at National Bank Financial lifted their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of BCE in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, March 26th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.95 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $1.87. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on BCE. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

BCE Trading Down 0.6 %

BCE stock opened at $22.82 on Monday. BCE has a one year low of $21.87 and a one year high of $36.17. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $23.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.78. 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 $21.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 190.13, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57.

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 issued a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.21%. BCE’s payout ratio is 2,291.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in BCE by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in BCE by 6.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in BCE by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 13,655 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in BCE by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,835 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in BCE by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 148,741 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.