BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus from nine analysts (1 sell, 3 hold, 4 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $28.67.
• BCE posted Q results of $0.49 EPS (beat) but revenue missed at $4.66B versus a $6.55B consensus; management set FY2026 EPS guidance of 1.79–1.91 and sell‑side forecasts are ~1.87 EPS.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 ($1.75 annualized) for a current yield of 7.3% and a payout ratio around 26%.

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.6667.

A number of brokerages have commented on BCE. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. TD Securities downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Barrington Research upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $21.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BCE from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th.

BCE Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $23.96 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $22.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $25.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.55. BCE has a 1-year low of $21.04 and a 1-year high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.55 billion. BCE had a net margin of 26.14% and a return on equity of 15.39%. BCE's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that BCE will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.3%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 735.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 1,642.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

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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