National Bank Financial Reduces Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Analysts at National Bank Financial reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for BCE in a report released on Thursday, January 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now expects that the utilities provider will earn $1.67 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.92. National Bank Financial has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share.

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

BCE Trading Up 0.5 %

BCE opened at $23.95 on Monday. BCE has a twelve month low of $22.18 and a twelve month high of $41.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.31 and a 200-day moving average of $31.20. The stock has a market cap 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

BCE Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.737 dividend. This is an increase from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.31%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4,214.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BCE by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. boosted its stake in BCE by 3.9% during the third quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. First Affirmative Financial Network grew its position in BCE by 6.1% during the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in shares of BCE by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in BCE by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.