Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in BCE were worth $1,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BCE has been the subject of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Bank of America lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Edward Jones downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, National Bank Financial downgraded BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.00.

BCE Price Performance

NYSE BCE opened at $22.71 on Thursday. BCE Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.87 and a 1 year high of $41.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $25.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 324.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.56. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.737 dividend. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.98%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,028.57%.

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.