National Bank Financial Predicts Stronger Earnings for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial upped their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 26th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now expects that the utilities provider will earn $1.95 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.87. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Bank of America lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. National Bankshares reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Performance

NYSE:BCE opened at $22.96 on Monday. BCE has a 52-week low of $21.87 and a 52-week high of $36.17. The business’s fifty day moving average is $23.59 and its 200 day moving average is $26.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 191.29, 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.14%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2,291.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of BCE by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of BCE by 6.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 13,655 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in BCE by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,835 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 691 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in BCE by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 148,741 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,286,000 after buying an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

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.