Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Acquires Shares of 171,403 BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Munich Reinsurance acquired 171,403 BCE shares worth approximately $3.7 million during the second quarter, while several other major institutional investors also initiated or increased positions. Institutional investors now own 41.46% of BCE.
• BCE reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, slightly exceeding estimates, on revenue of $4.35 billion. The stock recently traded at $23.71, with a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.25.
• BCE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share, equivalent to $1.75 annually and a 7.4% yield; the dividend is payable October 15 to shareholders of record as of September 15.

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 171,403 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,691,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the second quarter valued at $107,023,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in BCE during the 4th quarter worth about $100,999,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in BCE during the 4th quarter worth about $91,811,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its position in BCE by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 34,107,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $797,161,000 after acquiring an additional 3,024,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in BCE by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,136,466 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $408,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250,106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at $23.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. BCE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.87 and a 1 year high of $26.52. The company has a market cap of $22.11 billion, a PE ratio of 4.85, a PEG ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 0.52. The company's 50-day moving average is $22.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.88.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.35 billion. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE's payout ratio is currently 25.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BCE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on BCE in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered BCE from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, TD Securities raised BCE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.25.

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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