BCE FY2025 EPS Forecast Raised by National Bank Financial

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities researchers at National Bank Financial increased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued to 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 estimate of $1.87. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

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

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $22.96 on Monday. BCE has a one year low of $21.87 and a one 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. The company has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 191.29, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.86.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its earnings results 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in BCE by 1,147.3% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.