BCE (BCE) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) is expected to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, February 6th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.53 per share and revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter. Investors that wish to listen to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at $23.72 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $24.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.21. BCE has a twelve month low of $21.87 and a twelve month high of $41.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The company has a market cap of $21.64 billion, a PE ratio of 338.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.737 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.43%. BCE’s payout ratio is currently 4,028.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BCE shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Bank of America cut shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, BCE has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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.