BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$41.88.

Several analysts recently commented on BCE shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on BCE from C$37.50 to C$33.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. National Bankshares cut their price objective on BCE from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, TD Securities cut their price target on shares of BCE from C$37.00 to C$32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at C$33.69 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is C$36.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$42.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65. BCE has a 1 year low of C$31.99 and a 1 year high of C$56.18. The firm has a market cap 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.9975 per share. This represents a $3.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 185.58%.

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.