Zacks Research Has Negative Estimate for BCE Q3 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for BCE in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will earn $0.51 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.56. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on BCE. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

BCE Price Performance

BCE stock opened at $23.11 on Friday. BCE has a 12 month low of $21.87 and a 12 month high of $37.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $23.40 and its 200-day moving average is $28.64. 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 company has a market capitalization of $21.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 192.54, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s payout ratio is presently 2,350.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in BCE by 6.8% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in BCE by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in BCE by 6.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in BCE by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 13,655 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in BCE by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,835 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.