BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Sold by XML Financial LLC

XML Financial LLC cut its holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCEFree Report) (TSE:BCE) by 23.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,750 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in BCE were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of BCE by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 65,155 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,510,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares during the period. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in BCE by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,532 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 789 shares during the last quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. grew its holdings in BCE by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 697,533 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,169,000 after buying an additional 39,115 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of BCE by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 203,687 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,720,000 after acquiring an additional 6,762 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:BCE opened at $23.24 on Friday. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.87 and a 12 month high of $41.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $24.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a PE ratio of 331.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.737 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.69%. BCE’s payout ratio is 4,028.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. National Bank Financial cut BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Edward Jones lowered BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Three investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BCE

About BCE

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for BCE (NYSE:BCE)

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