BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Stock Has Average Price Target of $29.00 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• BCE has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 12 analysts, with seven buys, four holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $29.00, versus a recent share price of $20.44.
• BCE reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, exceeding the $0.46 analyst consensus, while revenue of $4.35 billion matched estimates. Analysts expect approximately $1.89 in EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of C$0.44, equivalent to about C$1.75 annually and an 8.6% yield; institutional investors own 41.46% of BCE’s shares.

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $29.00.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BCE shares. Zacks Research raised shares of BCE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Bank of America upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $24.50 to $27.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of BCE in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Thursday, October 8th.

Institutional Trading of BCE

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Probity Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BCE by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 26,033 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $530,000 after buying an additional 5,007 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of BCE by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 36,132 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $735,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in BCE by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 184,394 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,753,000 after acquiring an additional 19,889 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in BCE by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,610,562 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $52,903,000 after acquiring an additional 15,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at $20.44 on Friday. BCE has a one year low of $18.68 and a one year high of $26.52. The company has a market cap of $19.06 billion, a PE ratio of 4.18, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.73.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that BCE will post 1.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a C$0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.6%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.77%.

BCE Company Profile

BCE Inc is a Canadian communications and media company headquartered in Montréal, Québec. Through its Bell Canada operations, the company provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services, including mobile voice and data, high-speed internet, local and long-distance voice, and digital television. Bell serves residential, small-business, enterprise and government customers across Canada.

BCE also operates a media business through Bell Media, which includes television networks, digital platforms, radio stations and related content operations.

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