BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• BCE currently has a consensus analyst rating of “Hold” from 11 research firms, with an average 1-year price target of $30.00.
• The stock recently traded up 2.5% to $22.14, still below its 52-week high of $26.52; BCE also has a relatively low beta of 0.52 and a market cap of $20.64 billion.
• BCE reported quarterly earnings of $0.46 per share, beating expectations, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share, which annualizes to a 7.9% yield.

Shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.00.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BCE shares. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Barclays decreased their price target on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of BCE by 36.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 278,745 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,400,000 after buying an additional 75,053 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in BCE by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new position in BCE in the second quarter valued at about $407,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 92.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 237.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 265,861 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,894,000 after purchasing an additional 186,965 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $22.14 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $23.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.36. BCE has a 1 year low of $20.87 and a 1 year high of $26.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $20.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 25.66%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that BCE will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.9%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is 25.81%.

BCE Company Profile

BCE Inc NYSE: BCE is a Canadian communications, media and entertainment company that operates through its primary subsidiaries, including Bell Canada and Bell Media. As a large integrated telecommunications provider, BCE delivers a broad range of connectivity services and content to residential, business and wholesale customers across Canada. The company combines network infrastructure with media assets to offer bundled communications and entertainment solutions.

On the services side, BCE provides fixed-line and wireless voice services, mobile data, high-speed internet, fibre and broadband access, and television services through platforms such as Bell Fibe and Bell TV.

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