John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Lowers Stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,023 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,809 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in BCE were worth $1,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in BCE by 3,480.0% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,074 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of BCE by 121.2% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. raised its position in shares of BCE by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 1,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in BCE in the 2nd quarter worth about $76,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE opened at $27.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 385.71, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.25. BCE Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.51 and a twelve month high of $41.77. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.92%. This is an increase from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4,228.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BCE shares. Barclays decreased their target price on BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Edward Jones lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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.