BCE (NYSE:BCE) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

BCE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, May 29th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, TD Securities raised BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.67.

BCE Price Performance

BCE stock opened at $21.20 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $23.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. BCE has a 12-month low of $20.87 and a 12-month high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 25.66%.The company’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that BCE will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.3%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BCE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in BCE by 15.7% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,581 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of BCE by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of BCE by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 4,164 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,814 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its holdings in BCE by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 28,692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BCE Company Profile

BCE Inc (NYSE: BCE) is a Canadian communications, media and entertainment company that operates through its primary subsidiaries, including Bell Canada and Bell Media. As a large integrated telecommunications provider, BCE delivers a broad range of connectivity services and content to residential, business and wholesale customers across Canada. The company combines network infrastructure with media assets to offer bundled communications and entertainment solutions.

On the services side, BCE provides fixed-line and wireless voice services, mobile data, high-speed internet, fibre and broadband access, and television services through platforms such as Bell Fibe and Bell TV.