Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Boosts Stake in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its stake in BCE, Inc. by 36.1% in Q1, owning approximately 25.2 million shares valued at about $579 million.
• Several large investors have also adjusted their positions in BCE, with notable changes including a 44.2% increase in stake by Credit Agricole S A during the same quarter.
• BCE reported a quarterly EPS of $0.46, missing estimates by $0.06, and has set FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS.

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its holdings in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 36.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,249,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,697,900 shares during the period. BCE makes up about 1.2% of Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned 2.74% of BCE worth $579,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its holdings in BCE by 5.2% during the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 10,448 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in BCE by 7.8% in the first quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,332 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in BCE by 10.3% in the first quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,776 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in BCE by 10.2% in the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 11,131 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cibc World Mkts lowered shares of BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Desjardins upgraded shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. National Bankshares reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 15th. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, CIBC reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.67.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE stock traded down $0.16 on Thursday, reaching $24.83. The stock had a trading volume of 2,442,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,450,404. The business's 50 day moving average is $23.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. BCE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.28 and a 1 year high of $36.17. The company has a market cap of $23.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.62.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.06). BCE had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 1.96%.The firm had revenue of $4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. BCE has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. BCE's payout ratio is presently 437.93%.

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.