BCE, Inc. $BCE Position Lessened by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank reduced its position in BCE by 33.6% in Q4, selling 46,373 shares and leaving 91,653 shares valued at $2,189,000.
• Several large institutions significantly increased stakes—e.g., Canerector (+3,152% to 8.13M shares, ~$190.2M) and Caisse de dépôt (34.11M shares, ~$797.2M)—with institutional ownership at 41.46%.
• BCE beat Q earnings estimates ($0.49 vs. $0.45) but missed on revenue ($4.66B); it pays a $1.75 annual dividend (yield 7.4%) and carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $28.67 target.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank decreased its position in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 33.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 91,653 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 46,373 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in BCE were worth $2,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Canerector Inc. raised its stake in shares of BCE by 3,152.0% during the 3rd quarter. Canerector Inc. now owns 8,130,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $190,161,000 after purchasing an additional 7,880,000 shares in the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its holdings in BCE by 9.7% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 34,107,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $797,161,000 after buying an additional 3,024,110 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in BCE by 77.6% in the third quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 6,389,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $149,459,000 after buying an additional 2,792,485 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in BCE by 15.8% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 16,212,538 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $378,981,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206,385 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in BCE by 16,698.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,740,969 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,721,000 after acquiring an additional 1,730,605 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of BCE from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Barrington Research upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $21.00 to $26.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, TD Securities cut BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, BCE presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $28.67.

BCE Price Performance

NYSE BCE opened at $23.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.29. BCE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $21.04 and a twelve month high of $26.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.58.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.55 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 26.14%.The company's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.07%.

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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