Invesco Ltd. Has $61.18 Million Stock Holdings in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. has increased its stake in BCE, Inc. by 10.8%, now holding approximately 2.66 million shares valued at $61.18 million.
• BCE reported quarterly earnings of $0.46 per share, missing estimates by $0.06, and the company's revenue for the quarter was 1.3% higher than the same period last year.
• The company’s dividend yield is notably high at 565.0%, despite a payout ratio of 434.48%.

Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 10.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,664,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 258,861 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.29% of BCE worth $61,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in BCE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in BCE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in BCE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in BCE by 67.1% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,310 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in BCE in the first quarter worth approximately $88,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BCE. Cibc World Mkts downgraded BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, August 8th. National Bankshares reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Desjardins upgraded BCE from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.67.

BCE Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of BCE traded down $0.0450 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $25.6950. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,289,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,098,548. The business has a fifty day moving average of $23.59 and a 200 day moving average of $22.90. The company has a market cap of $23.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.62. BCE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.28 and a 1 year high of $36.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17.

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

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were issued a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 565.0%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 437.93%.

About BCE

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.