BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Purchased by Claret Asset Management Corp

Claret Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 70.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 252,457 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 104,227 shares during the quarter. BCE makes up about 0.9% of Claret Asset Management Corp's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Claret Asset Management Corp's holdings in BCE were worth $5,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of BCE by 623.9% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 9,398,336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $217,573,000 after acquiring an additional 8,100,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $87,643,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of BCE by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 19,945,799 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $462,262,000 after buying an additional 3,624,953 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd grew its position in shares of BCE by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 26,292,783 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $609,465,000 after buying an additional 2,322,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in BCE by 95.5% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,586,953 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $106,216,000 after acquiring an additional 2,240,473 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $21.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,112,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,289,371. The firm has a market cap of $20.27 billion, a PE ratio of 183.29, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $22.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. BCE Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.28 and a fifty-two week high of $36.17.

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

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2,291.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BCE shares. National Bankshares reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $40.00.

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.