Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for BCE Q1 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – National Bank Financial issued their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 26th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $0.43 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for BCE’s FY2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America cut shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, National Bankshares reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE opened at $22.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 191.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $23.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.01. BCE has a 1 year low of $21.87 and a 1 year high of $36.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in BCE by 623.9% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 9,398,336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $217,573,000 after purchasing an additional 8,100,000 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in BCE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,643,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of BCE by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 19,945,799 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $462,262,000 after buying an additional 3,624,953 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 10,569,646 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $244,692,000 after acquiring an additional 2,706,839 shares during the period. Finally, FIL Ltd increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 26,292,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $609,465,000 after acquiring an additional 2,322,474 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,291.67%.

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.