BCE (NYSE:BCE) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.05, Zacks reports. BCE had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. BCE updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.910-1.980 EPS.

BCE Trading Up 0.0%

BCE traded up $0.00 during trading on Friday, hitting $23.17. 2,912,986 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,258,992. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.62. BCE has a 12-month low of $20.28 and a 12-month high of $28.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.59 and a 200 day moving average of $23.19.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 437.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BCE. Wall Street Zen upgraded BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. CIBC reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Desjardins upgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. National Bankshares reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, TD Securities raised shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BCE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in BCE by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 34.6% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 3,555 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of BCE by 92.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in BCE by 166.0% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 10,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 6,357 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.