Scotiabank Has Positive Estimate for BCE FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Scotiabank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for BCE to $2.60 from $2.53 and maintains an Outperform rating with a C$41 price target, while the street consensus for the current full year is $3.11 per share.
• BCE announced a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 to be paid April 15, which annualizes to $1.75 and implies a ~5.4% yield.
• The analyst backdrop is mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of C$37.25; the stock trades around C$32.42 (12‑month range C$29.10–C$36.25), with a P/E of ~4.8 and a market cap near C$30.2 billion.

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE - Free Report) NYSE: BCE - Scotiabank upped their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, April 10th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now expects that the company will earn $2.60 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $2.53. Scotiabank has a "Outperform" rating and a $41.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $3.11 per share.

BCE (TSE:BCE - Get Free Report) NYSE: BCE last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 6th. The company reported C$0.69 EPS for the quarter. BCE had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 31.99%. The firm had revenue of C$6.40 billion for the quarter.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on BCE. TD Securities downgraded shares of BCE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from C$41.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. National Bank Financial raised their price target on shares of BCE from C$38.00 to C$39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of BCE from C$33.00 to C$37.00 in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upgraded shares of BCE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Desjardins reduced their price target on shares of BCE from C$42.00 to C$41.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of C$37.25.

BCE Trading Up 0.4%

TSE BCE opened at C$32.42 on Tuesday. BCE has a 12 month low of C$29.10 and a 12 month high of C$36.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 179.16, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company has a market capitalization of C$30.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.34. The company's fifty day moving average price is C$34.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$33.54.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.02%.

About BCE

Bell Media is Canada's leading media and entertainment company with a portfolio of assets in premium video, audio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. This includes Canada's most-watched television network, CTV; the largest Canadian-owned video streamer, Crave, with a premium add-on to include STARZ; a powerful suite of specialty channels; the most-trusted news brand, CTV News; Canada's cross-platform sports leaders, TSN and RDS; leading out-of-home advertising network, Astral; Québec's fast-growing conventional French-language network, Noovo; the country's leading radio and podcast app, iHeartRadio Canada; and a range of award-winning original productions, brands, and services.

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