BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Receives $49.00 Consensus PT from Analysts

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $49.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Argus downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. TD Securities downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $46.00 price target (down from $54.00) on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of BCE from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th.

BCE Stock Performance

NYSE:BCE opened at $32.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $35.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.88. BCE has a twelve month low of $31.82 and a twelve month high of $48.38. The company has a market capitalization of $29.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.82 billion. BCE had a net margin of 8.82% and a return on equity of 17.13%. As a group, research analysts expect that BCE will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.742 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $2.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.21%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 174.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in BCE during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its position in BCE by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 659 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in BCE by 239.9% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 707 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new position in BCE during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in BCE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.