BCE (NYSE:BCE) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $23.72 and traded as high as $24.32. BCE shares last traded at $24.14, with a volume of 2,649,619 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 28th. Cibc Captl Mkts raised BCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of BCE from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, CIBC upgraded shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.00.

BCE Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $22.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.35 and its 200 day moving average is $23.72.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.05. BCE had a net margin of 25.62% and a return on equity of 17.35%. The business had revenue of $4.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.75 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. BCE has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.2%. BCE’s payout ratio is presently 25.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in BCE by 735.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in BCE during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in shares of BCE by 2,459.6% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,402 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.