National Bank Financial Forecasts Increased Earnings for BCE

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Analysts at National Bank Financial lifted their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of BCE in a research report issued on Thursday, June 12th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $2.06 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.97. National Bank Financial has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. 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, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.92 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 1.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share.

BCE has been the subject of several other research reports. Scotiabank raised BCE from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. National Bankshares restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.67.

BCE Price Performance

NYSE BCE opened at $22.01 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a PE ratio of 84.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.61. BCE has a 12 month low of $20.28 and a 12 month high of $36.17.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 488.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in BCE by 217.6% during the 4th 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 last quarter. WealthCollab LLC bought a new stake in BCE in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in BCE in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in BCE in the 1st quarter worth $47,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.