Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Increases Stake in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its stake in BCE by 90.9% in the first quarter, buying an additional 53,490 shares and bringing its total holdings to 112,315 shares worth about $2.84 million.
• BCE shares were trading around $21.38, near their 52-week low of $20.87, with a market cap of $19.93 billion and a low beta of 0.52.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations, reporting $0.46 EPS on revenue of $4.43 billion, and it also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share for a yield of 8.2%.

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE by 90.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 112,315 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 53,490 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.'s holdings in BCE were worth $2,835,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in BCE by 735.3% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 1,642.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in BCE during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

BCE Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of BCE stock traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $21.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,005,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,709,718. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. BCE, Inc. has a one year low of $20.87 and a one year high of $26.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $23.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.39.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 25.66%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that BCE, Inc. will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.2%. BCE's payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, TD Securities raised shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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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