Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of BCE FY2025 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised BCE's FY2025 earnings estimate down to $1.93 per share, from a previous forecast of $1.98.
• BCE reported a Q2 earnings miss with an EPS of $0.46, below the consensus estimate of $0.52, along with a revenue of $4.47 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.4375 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 7.0% and a payout ratio of 434.48%.

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE - Free Report) TSE: BCE - Analysts at Zacks Research lowered their FY2025 earnings estimates for BCE in a note issued to investors on Thursday, August 28th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.93 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.98. The consensus estimate for BCE's current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BCE's Q1 2026 earnings at $0.43 EPS.

BCE (NYSE:BCE - Get Free Report) TSE: BCE last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.06). BCE had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The business had revenue of $4.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. BCE has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. CIBC restated a "neutral" rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Cibc World Mkts lowered BCE from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. National Bankshares reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of BCE from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.67.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $24.96 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.95 and a 200 day moving average of $22.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The company has a market capitalization of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.63. BCE has a 52 week low of $20.28 and a 52 week high of $36.17.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. BCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 434.48%.

Institutional Trading of BCE

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in BCE in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in BCE by 2,459.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,459 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,402 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in BCE during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new stake in BCE during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company's stock.

About BCE

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.

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