Zacks Research Weighs in on BCE’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:BCE)

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2025 earnings 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 post earnings of $0.51 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.56. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on BCE. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Up 0.1 %

BCE stock opened at $23.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 194.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.72. BCE has a 1-year low of $21.87 and a 1-year high of $37.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 2,350.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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