BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BCE shares. Edward Jones cut shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their price objective on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. National Bank Financial lowered BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE stock traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $23.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,839,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,315,125. The company has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a PE ratio of 331.29, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.56. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $25.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.94. BCE has a 12-month low of $22.18 and a 12-month high of $41.77.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.737 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from BCE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.71%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is 4,028.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BCE. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of BCE by 121.2% in the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in BCE in the third quarter worth $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of BCE by 321.0% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of BCE in the second quarter worth about $76,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.