Nykredit A S Invests $2.14 Million in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S initiated a $2.14 million position in BCE during the second quarter by purchasing 99,320 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 41.46% of the company.
• BCE shares opened at $21.71, near their one-year low, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, slightly above analyst expectations, on $4.35 billion in revenue.
• BCE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share, equal to $1.75 annually and an 8.1% yield; analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $29.25 price target.

Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 99,320 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,139,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in BCE by 501.6% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 75,198 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,898,000 after purchasing an additional 62,698 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in BCE by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,886,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,570,000 after purchasing an additional 172,955 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in BCE by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,837,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $122,097,000 after acquiring an additional 282,287 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in BCE by 535.8% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 532,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,435,000 after acquiring an additional 448,757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in BCE by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,296,776 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $436,320,000 after buying an additional 160,310 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of BCE stock opened at $21.71 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $22.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.69. BCE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.87 and a 1-year high of $26.52. The firm has a market cap of $20.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.44, a PEG ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on BCE in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BCE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut BCE from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.25.

BCE Profile

BCE Inc is a Canadian communications and media company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Through its Bell operations, the company provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services, including mobile voice and data plans, high-speed internet, telephone services, and business communications solutions.

BCE also offers television services, including conventional, satellite, and internet-based television, as well as digital content and streaming products. Its media operations include television networks, specialty channels, digital media properties, and sports and news programming.

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