Two Sigma Investments LP Invests $1.08 Million in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 46,393 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,075,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 78.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 120,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,192,000 after acquiring an additional 52,966 shares in the last quarter. Tobam grew its holdings in BCE by 198.0% in the fourth quarter. Tobam now owns 71,971 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 47,816 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of BCE by 154.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 52,027 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,206,000 after buying an additional 31,607 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter worth $8,233,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its position in shares of BCE by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 562,433 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $13,037,000 after buying an additional 48,997 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of BCE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank raised BCE from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of BCE in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, National Bankshares restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.67.

BCE Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE BCE traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $22.10. 2,518,884 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,975,621. The business's 50 day moving average is $21.72 and its 200-day moving average is $23.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. BCE Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.28 and a 12-month high of $36.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 184.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.61.

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

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.