BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Sold by Advocate Group LLC

Advocate Group LLC lessened its stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 146,811 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,023 shares during the period. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in BCE were worth $3,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BCE. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in BCE by 121.2% in the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 321.0% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of BCE stock opened at $23.53 on Friday. BCE Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.87 and a 12-month high of $41.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a market cap of $21.46 billion, a PE ratio of 336.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.35.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.737 per share. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.53%. This is a boost from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4,028.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Edward Jones downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

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.