BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Bought by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 723,067 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 104,572 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of BCE worth $28,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BCE by 121.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in BCE by 321.0% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in BCE during the third quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in BCE during the second quarter worth about $76,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of BCE stock opened at $22.87 on Friday. BCE Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.51 and a 1-year high of $41.77. The company has a market capitalization of $20.86 billion, a PE ratio of 326.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $27.70 and a 200-day moving average of $31.72.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.737 dividend. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.89%. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4,214.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. National Bank Financial lowered shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.00.

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.