Entropy Technologies LP Buys Shares of 69,736 BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP initiated a position in BCE during the first quarter, purchasing 69,736 shares valued at approximately $1.76 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 41.46% of BCE.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: six analysts rate BCE a Buy, four recommend Hold, and one recommends Sell, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and a $30 target price.
• BCE reported quarterly EPS of $0.46, beating estimates, while revenue rose 4% year over year to $4.43 billion. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.4375, or $1.75 annualized, representing an 8.2% yield.

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 69,736 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,760,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in BCE by 735.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of BCE during the first quarter worth $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 1,642.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth $60,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on BCE in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, TD Securities upgraded BCE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BCE has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $30.00.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE opened at $21.32 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $23.07 and a 200-day moving average of $24.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $19.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.52. BCE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.87 and a 1 year high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. BCE had a net margin of 25.66% and a return on equity of 13.87%. BCE's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. BCE's payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

BCE 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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