Northern Trust Corp Purchases 65,230 Shares of BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in BCE, Inc. by 13% during the 1st quarter, acquiring an additional 65,230 shares and owning a total of 567,694 shares valued at approximately $13 million.
• BCE reported earnings per share of $0.46 for the latest quarter, falling short of the estimated $0.52, with a net margin of only 1.96% and a revenue of $4.47 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.4375, leading to an annualized dividend of $1.75 and a yield of 7.1%, with a significant payout ratio of 434.48%.

Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 13.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 567,694 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 65,230 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.06% of BCE worth $13,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $47,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of BCE by 67.1% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,310 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 1,329 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of BCE by 77.2% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,891 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 1,695 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Stock Up 0.3%

BCE opened at $24.51 on Thursday. BCE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.28 and a 1-year high of $36.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $24.11 and a 200-day moving average of $22.99.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.06). BCE had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The business had revenue of $4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. The firm's revenue 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 434.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. National Bankshares reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Desjardins raised BCE from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Scotiabank raised BCE from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.67.

BCE 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.

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