BCE (NYSE:BCE) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• BCE shares hit a new 52-week low of $20.12, trading well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $22.62 and $23.38, respectively.
• Despite the decline, analysts maintain a generally positive outlook: BCE has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $29.25, with six Buy and five Hold ratings.
• BCE reported quarterly earnings slightly above expectations and declared a C$0.44 quarterly dividend, equivalent to an annualized yield of approximately 8.6%.

Shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE reached a new 52-week low on Thursday. The company traded as low as $20.12 and last traded at $20.3550, with a volume of 2954337 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BCE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings cut BCE from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Bank of America upgraded shares of BCE from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.25.

BCE Trading Up 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of $18.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $22.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.38.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.35 billion. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that BCE, Inc. will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a C$0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.6%. BCE's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.77%.

Institutional Trading of BCE

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Andra AP fonden bought a new position in shares of BCE during the 2nd quarter worth $815,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in BCE by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 214,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,658,000 after acquiring an additional 10,204 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its stake in BCE by 66.0% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 22,108 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 8,791 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in BCE by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 28,909 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 4,246 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in BCE by 99.3% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,735 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About BCE

BCE Inc, operating primarily under the Bell brand, is a Canadian communications and media company. Its telecommunications operations provide wireless voice and data services, broadband internet, television, home phone, and business communications solutions to consumers, organizations, and government customers across Canada.

Through Bell, the company offers mobile connectivity, fiber and other internet services, digital television, cloud services, cybersecurity, unified communications, and information technology solutions.

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