Intact Investment Management Inc. Acquires 727,860 Shares of BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Intact Investment Management boosted its stake in BCE by 23.3%, acquiring 727,860 shares to hold 3,848,390 shares worth about $91.8 million, making BCE its fourth-largest holding (BCE represents 2.6% of Intact’s portfolio and Intact owns ~0.41% of BCE).
• BCE offers a high income profile with a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 (annualized $1.75), a 7.3% dividend yield and a 26.1% payout ratio, while trading at a PE of about 4.9 and a market cap near $22.3 billion.
• Recent results showed an EPS beat ($0.49 vs. $0.45 expected) but revenue of $4.66 billion was down 0.3% year-over-year and below expectations; BCE set FY2026 EPS guidance of 1.79–1.91 and analysts have an average price target of $28.67 ("Moderate Buy").

Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 23.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,848,390 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 727,860 shares during the period. BCE comprises 2.6% of Intact Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Intact Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.41% of BCE worth $91,794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of BCE by 735.3% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of BCE by 81.0% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,924 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of BCE by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc boosted its position in shares of BCE by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 3,555 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Trading Down 0.0%

BCE opened at $23.96 on Monday. BCE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $21.04 and a twelve month high of $26.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $25.01 and a 200-day moving average of $24.29. The stock has a market cap of $22.34 billion, a PE ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.04. BCE had a net margin of 26.14% and a return on equity of 15.39%. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.79 earnings per share. BCE's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BCE, Inc. will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.3%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is 26.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BCE from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barrington Research upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $21.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, TD Securities lowered shares of 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $28.67.

About BCE

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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