Brokerages Set BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Price Target at $38.67

Shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $38.67.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BCE shares. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. National Bank Financial upgraded BCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, National Bankshares restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th.

BCE Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $21.68 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.08 and a 200-day moving average of $23.78. The company has a market capitalization of $20.22 billion, a PE ratio of 180.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. BCE has a 52-week low of $20.28 and a 52-week high of $36.17.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.92 billion. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that BCE will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of BCE

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ boosted its position in BCE by 2.0% during the first quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 23,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its position in BCE by 5.2% during the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 10,448 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its position 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 worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of BCE by 3.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of BCE by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,532 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Company Profile

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.