Allianz Asset Management GmbH Acquires 761,681 Shares of BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management increased its BCE stake by 3,721.3% in the second quarter, acquiring 761,681 additional shares for a total holding of 782,149 shares valued at approximately $16.8 million.
• Analysts remain generally positive, with six Buy ratings and five Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $29.25 price target. BCE recently exceeded quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $0.47 versus expectations of $0.46.
• BCE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share, equivalent to $1.75 annually and a 7.4% yield. Shares recently opened at $23.71, while institutional investors collectively own 41.46% of the company.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 3,721.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 782,149 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 761,681 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned 0.08% of BCE worth $16,842,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in BCE by 36.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 278,745 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,400,000 after purchasing an additional 75,053 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 64.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BCE during the second quarter worth about $407,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of BCE by 92.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 2,081 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of BCE by 237.0% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 265,861 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,894,000 after buying an additional 186,965 shares during the period. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BCE. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Bank of America upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. TD Securities raised shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of BCE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BCE from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.25.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at $23.71 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $22.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.85. BCE, Inc. has a one year low of $20.87 and a one year high of $26.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.11 billion, a PE ratio of 4.85, a PEG ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion during 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.97%.

BCE Company Profile

BCE Inc NYSE: BCE is a Canadian communications, media and entertainment company that operates through its primary subsidiaries, including Bell Canada and Bell Media. As a large integrated telecommunications provider, BCE delivers a broad range of connectivity services and content to residential, business and wholesale customers across Canada. The company combines network infrastructure with media assets to offer bundled communications and entertainment solutions.

On the services side, BCE provides fixed-line and wireless voice services, mobile data, high-speed internet, fibre and broadband access, and television services through platforms such as Bell Fibe and Bell TV.

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