Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC Takes $766,000 Position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 22,021 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $766,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in BCE by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 346,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,065,000 after purchasing an additional 26,610 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 51,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 8,335 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in BCE by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 495,054 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $17,228,000 after acquiring an additional 13,032 shares during the last quarter. American Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in BCE in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,262,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in BCE in the third quarter valued at about $1,876,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:BCE traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $26.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,366,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,394,627. BCE Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.51 and a fifty-two week high of $41.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $32.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 383.14, a PEG ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.59.

BCE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.99%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,228.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BCE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays decreased their price objective on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, National Bank Financial lowered BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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.