National Bank Financial Forecasts Weaker Earnings for BCE

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

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

BCE Trading Up 2.4 %

BCE opened at $23.82 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 340.29, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54. BCE has a 12 month low of $22.18 and a 12 month high of $41.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.28.

BCE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.737 dividend. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.38%. This is an increase 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%.

Institutional Trading of BCE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BCE by 2.6% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. raised its position in BCE by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its stake in BCE by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of BCE by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of BCE by 6.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

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.