Two Sigma Advisers LP Invests $5.67 Million in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 244,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,665,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of BCE by 141.8% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 35,983 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $834,000 after purchasing an additional 21,099 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in BCE by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 10,569,646 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $244,692,000 after acquiring an additional 2,706,839 shares during the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. raised its holdings in BCE by 197.0% in the 4th quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 42,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $985,000 after acquiring an additional 28,191 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its holdings in BCE by 144.6% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 873,544 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $20,247,000 after acquiring an additional 516,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in BCE by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. now owns 4,634,549 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $107,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,047,062 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE BCE traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $21.80. The company had a trading volume of 775,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,944,902. BCE Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.28 and a fifty-two week high of $36.17. The company has a market capitalization of $20.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 181.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm's 50 day moving average is $21.83 and its 200 day moving average is $23.47.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.04. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%. The firm had revenue of $4.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of BCE in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. National Bank Financial upgraded BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. National Bankshares reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of BCE from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BCE presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.67.

BCE Company 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.