BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Receives $30.00 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.25.

Several brokerages have issued reports on BCE. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 7th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, May 29th.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCE opened at $23.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. BCE has a 52 week low of $20.87 and a 52 week high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that BCE will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE’s payout ratio is presently 25.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 2nd quarter worth about $107,023,000. Ninepoint Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of BCE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $14,523,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of BCE by 32.0% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,275,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,429,000 after purchasing an additional 309,333 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in BCE by 155.0% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 731,141 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,727,000 after purchasing an additional 444,402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in BCE in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $284,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.