National Bank Financial Decreases Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Stock analysts at National Bank Financial lowered their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of BCE in a report issued on Thursday, January 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.67 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $1.92. National Bank Financial currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

BCE Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE BCE opened at $23.91 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $26.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. BCE has a twelve month low of $22.18 and a twelve month high of $41.77. The stock has a market cap of $21.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 341.57, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in BCE by 3,355.4% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,852,025 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $64,450,000 after purchasing an additional 1,798,427 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of BCE by 5,036.0% during the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 1,354,413 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,842,000 after buying an additional 1,328,042 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in BCE by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 3,563,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,877,000 after buying an additional 1,166,800 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in BCE by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 8,450,810 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $273,553,000 after acquiring an additional 905,857 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in BCE by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 18,873,961 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $656,421,000 after acquiring an additional 864,472 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.737 per share. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4,214.29%.

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.