National Bank Financial Forecasts Lower Earnings for BCE

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial decreased their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued on Thursday, January 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.67 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.92. National Bank Financial currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Edward Jones lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

BCE Price Performance

NYSE BCE opened at $23.91 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.14. BCE has a 52 week low of $22.18 and a 52 week high of $41.77. The stock has a market cap of $21.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 341.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.56. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.737 dividend. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.33%. This is an increase from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4,214.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in BCE by 121.2% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 321.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the second quarter worth $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.