John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 246.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 130,599 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in BCE were worth $4,256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of BCE by 217.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 790 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of BCE by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the third quarter valued at $65,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Down 1.2 %

BCE stock opened at $23.11 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $23.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. BCE Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.87 and a 1-year high of $37.33. The stock has a market cap of $21.30 billion, a PE ratio of 192.54, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2,283.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones cut BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE 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.