BCE (TSE:BCE) Given a C$43.50 Price Target by Desjardins Analysts

Key Points

• Desjardins initiated coverage on BCE with a C$43.50 price target and a buy rating, implying about 42.9% upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts are mixed but generally positive: BCE now has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of C$37.55.
• BCE shares rose to C$30.45 on Wednesday, while the company reported its latest quarterly EPS at C$0.63 and revenue of C$6.17 billion.

BCE (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE has been given a C$43.50 price objective by investment analysts at Desjardins in a report issued on Wednesday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Desjardins' price target suggests a potential upside of 42.86% from the stock's previous close.

BCE has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of BCE from C$39.00 to C$36.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. TD Securities raised BCE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$39.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on BCE from C$35.00 to C$33.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD raised shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a C$37.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of C$37.55.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock traded up C$0.64 during trading on Wednesday, reaching C$30.45. 2,213,362 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,094,336. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 183.90. The company has a market capitalization of C$28.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.50, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.29. BCE has a 1 year low of C$29.66 and a 1 year high of C$36.25. The firm's 50-day moving average is C$32.79 and its 200 day moving average is C$33.65.

BCE (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported C$0.63 earnings per share for the quarter. BCE had a net margin of 26.07% and a return on equity of 29.69%. The company had revenue of C$6.17 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that BCE will post 3.1120864 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Thierry Chaumont sold 4,110 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$33.59, for a total value of C$138,054.90. Also, insider Karine Moses sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$33.25, for a total value of C$116,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$123,424. This trade represents a 48.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,255 shares of company stock worth $376,464. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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