What is Scotiabank’s Estimate for BCE FY2025 Earnings?

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Research analysts at Scotiabank dropped their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a report issued on Wednesday, March 19th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.96 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.00. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Bank of America lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, National Bankshares reaffirmed 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 issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE opened at $22.53 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.31. The stock has a market cap of $20.76 billion, a PE ratio of 187.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in BCE by 217.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new position in BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid 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 yield of 12.37%. BCE’s payout ratio is 2,291.67%.

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.