Plato Investment Management Ltd Makes New $1.62 Million Investment in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management disclosed a new stake in BCE during the fourth quarter, buying 67,350 shares worth about $1.62 million.
• BCE’s latest quarterly results were solid, with revenue up 4% year over year and EPS of $0.46, which beat analyst expectations; the company also raised attention around AI-driven demand and Bell Business Markets growth.
• The company continues to appeal to income investors, announcing a C$0.4375 quarterly dividend that annualizes to a 7.2% yield, even as analysts hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $28.67.

Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 67,350 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,616,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 74.9% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 624,092 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,598,000 after purchasing an additional 267,313 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 16,698.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,740,969 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,721,000 after purchasing an additional 1,730,605 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,319,327 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $404,701,000 after purchasing an additional 608,264 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 77.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 6,389,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $149,459,000 after purchasing an additional 2,792,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,848,390 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,794,000 after purchasing an additional 727,860 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BCE from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barrington Research upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $21.00 to $26.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Securities downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $28.67.

BCE News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BCE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BCE said Q1 revenue rose 4% year over year, helped by stronger Bell CTS U.S./Ziply and Media performance, and free cash flow improved despite higher capital spending. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-driven demand and said BCE is expanding its Bell Business Markets offering, highlighting a growth area that could support future revenue. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also announced a quarterly dividend of C$0.4375 per share, which keeps BCE attractive for income-focused investors. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved the election of directors at the annual meeting, with all nominees receiving strong support. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted EPS declined from a year earlier, and the company’s revenue and earnings guidance for FY2026 came in below consensus, which is likely pressuring the stock. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of employee firings tied to alleged attendance-policy violations may add to near-term headline risk, though the operational impact appears limited. Article title

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCE opened at $24.15 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $22.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.91 and a beta of 0.48. BCE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $21.09 and a 52 week high of $26.52. The company's 50-day moving average price is $24.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. BCE had a net margin of 25.66% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The firm's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.02%.

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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