BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give BCE a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (9 analysts) with a 12‑month average price target of C$37.30, and several firms recently raised targets (Desjardins C$42, Scotiabank C$41, National Bank C$39).
• BCE announced a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 (annualized $1.75) implying a 5.1% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of March 16 and a payout ratio near 34%.
• The stock trades around C$34 with a low valuation (PE ~5.0) and strong profitability (net margin 26.4%, ROE ~32%), but carries high leverage (debt‑to‑equity 179%).

Shares of BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$37.30.

Several analysts have issued reports on BCE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of BCE from C$33.00 to C$37.00 in a report on Friday, February 6th. National Bank Financial raised their price objective on shares of BCE from C$38.00 to C$39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on BCE from C$39.50 to C$41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Desjardins upped their target price on BCE from C$40.00 to C$42.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded BCE from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a C$37.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th.

BCE Stock Performance

TSE:BCE opened at C$34.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of C$31.76 billion, a PE ratio of 5.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 179.16. BCE has a 52-week low of C$28.73 and a 52-week high of C$36.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$35.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$33.49.

BCE (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 6th. The company reported C$0.69 EPS for the quarter. BCE had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 31.99%. The firm had revenue of C$6.40 billion for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that BCE will post 3.1120864 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.02%.

BCE Company Profile

Bell Media is Canada's leading media and entertainment company with a portfolio of assets in premium video, audio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. This includes Canada's most-watched television network, CTV; the largest Canadian-owned video streamer, Crave, with a premium add-on to include STARZ; a powerful suite of specialty channels; the most-trusted news brand, CTV News; Canada's cross-platform sports leaders, TSN and RDS; leading out-of-home advertising network, Astral; Québec's fast-growing conventional French-language network, Noovo; the country's leading radio and podcast app, iHeartRadio Canada; and a range of award-winning original productions, brands, and services.

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