Ninepoint Partners LP Purchases New Stake in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Ninepoint Partners LP acquired a new position in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 675,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $14,523,000. BCE accounts for 1.1% of Ninepoint Partners LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in BCE by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 278,745 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,400,000 after purchasing an additional 75,053 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of BCE by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 1,217 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $407,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of BCE by 92.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 2,081 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of BCE by 237.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 265,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,894,000 after buying an additional 186,965 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America raised BCE from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.25.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at $23.78 on Friday. BCE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.87 and a 12-month high of $26.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.86 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. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.34 and a 200-day moving average of $24.03.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 25.49%.BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. BCE’s payout ratio is currently 25.97%.

About BCE

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.