BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Position Increased by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 78.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 52,966 shares during the period. Barclays PLC's holdings in BCE were worth $4,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 3,355.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,852,025 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $64,450,000 after purchasing an additional 1,798,427 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 5,036.0% in the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,354,413 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $43,842,000 after buying an additional 1,328,042 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of BCE by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 3,563,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $123,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166,800 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in BCE by 23.8% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,520,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $178,677,000 after buying an additional 1,061,488 shares during the period. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in BCE by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 8,450,810 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $273,553,000 after purchasing an additional 905,857 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.16. 5,947,211 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,560,827. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.90 and a 12 month high of $41.77. 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 50 day moving average of $28.53 and a 200-day moving average of $32.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 330.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.737 per share. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,214.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BCE shares. National Bank Financial downgraded shares of BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones lowered shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $45.00.

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.