BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Stock Has Average Price Target of $29.25 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give BCE a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with six buy ratings and five holds. The average 12-month price target is $29.25, above the stock’s recent $20.16 price.
• BCE shares fell 2.0% and are near their 52-week low of $20.14. The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, slightly beating estimates, on revenue of $4.35 billion.
• BCE declared a quarterly dividend of C$0.44, equivalent to approximately C$1.75 annually and an 8.7% yield. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company.

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.25.

Several analysts have issued reports on BCE shares. Barclays dropped their target price on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research raised BCE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on BCE in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded BCE from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 501.6% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 75,198 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,898,000 after purchasing an additional 62,698 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in BCE by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,886,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,570,000 after buying an additional 172,955 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in BCE by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,837,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $122,097,000 after buying an additional 282,287 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in BCE by 535.8% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 532,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,435,000 after buying an additional 448,757 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in BCE by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,296,776 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $436,320,000 after buying an additional 160,310 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE:BCE opened at $20.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.42. BCE has a one year low of $20.14 and a one year high of $26.52. The firm has a market cap of $18.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.12, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.73.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. Equities analysts anticipate that BCE will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a C$0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.77%.

About BCE

BCE Inc, operating primarily under the Bell brand, is a Canadian communications and media company. Its telecommunications operations provide wireless voice and data services, broadband internet, television, home phone, and business communications solutions to consumers, organizations, and government customers across Canada.

Through Bell, the company offers mobile connectivity, fiber and other internet services, digital television, cloud services, cybersecurity, unified communications, and information technology solutions.

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