Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Changes for BCE (BCE)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of BCE (TSE: BCE) recently:

• 4/10/2024 – BCE had its price target lowered by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$57.00 to C$54.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 4/9/2024 – BCE had its price target lowered by analysts at Barclays PLC from C$52.00 to C$48.00.
• 4/4/2024 – BCE had its price target lowered by analysts at CIBC from C$54.00 to C$52.00.
• 4/3/2024 – BCE had its price target lowered by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from C$54.00 to C$47.00.
• 4/2/2024 – BCE was downgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating. They now have a C$46.00 price target on the stock, down previously from C$54.00.
• 3/25/2024 – BCE had its price target lowered by analysts at National Bankshares, Inc. from C$55.00 to C$53.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2024 – BCE had its price target lowered by analysts at Barclays PLC from C$55.00 to C$52.00.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE traded up C$0.17 during trading on Thursday, hitting C$44.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,250,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,948,394. The firm has a market cap of C$41.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.47. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of C$43.96 and a 12 month high of C$65.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 175.98. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of C$48.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$51.60.

BCE (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported C$0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.73 by C$0.03. The firm had revenue of C$6.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$6.48 billion. BCE had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 10.81%. Analysts expect that BCE Inc. will post 3.0448065 EPS for the current year.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a $0.998 dividend. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.87%. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.97. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 175.00%.

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.