Scotiabank Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) – Analysts at Scotiabank dropped their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for BCE in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 8th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.87 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $3.18. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $3.11 per share.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Securities dropped their target price on BCE from C$37.00 to C$32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of BCE from C$45.00 to C$41.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Barclays cut their price target on BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, National Bankshares reduced their target price on shares of BCE from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$41.88.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at C$33.69 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is C$36.48 and its 200-day moving average is C$42.74. BCE has a 1 year low of C$31.99 and a 1 year high of C$56.18. The firm has a market capitalization of C$30.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a $0.9975 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.84%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 185.58%.

BCE Company 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.