Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Has $429.80 Million Position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,551,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,814,111 shares during the quarter. BCE accounts for 0.9% of Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned 2.03% of BCE worth $429,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 217.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC purchased a new stake in BCE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of BCE by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. National Bankshares restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Bank of America downgraded shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, BCE presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $21.75. 1,790,737 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,830,706. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.05 billion, a PE ratio of 181.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.63. The business's 50 day moving average price is $22.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.56. BCE Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.28 and a 1-year high of $36.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%. Equities research analysts predict that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.81%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2,291.67%.

About BCE

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.