National Bank Financial Expects Reduced Earnings for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Research analysts at National Bank Financial decreased their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued on Monday, March 10th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.87 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.90. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

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

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on BCE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. National Bankshares reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $39.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at $24.36 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $22.45 billion, a PE ratio of 202.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. BCE has a 12-month low of $21.87 and a 12-month high of $36.17. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.01.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.44%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,291.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCE. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in BCE during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in BCE by 217.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC purchased a new position in BCE in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of BCE by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.