What is Scotiabank’s Estimate for BCE FY2026 Earnings?

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Research analysts at Scotiabank reduced their FY2026 EPS estimates for BCE in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, September 17th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.87 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $1.90. Scotiabank currently has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.92 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of BCE from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on BCE in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.25.

BCE Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:BCE opened at $21.98 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $20.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.73. BCE has a one year low of $20.87 and a one year high of $26.52.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,296,776 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $436,320,000 after acquiring an additional 160,310 shares during the period. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. grew its position in BCE by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. now owns 7,338,441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $175,277,000 after purchasing an additional 292,690 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in BCE by 21.7% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,038,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,011,000 after purchasing an additional 897,141 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the second quarter valued at approximately $107,023,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of BCE by 6.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,837,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $122,097,000 after purchasing an additional 282,287 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.0%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.77%.

About BCE

BCE Inc is a Canadian communications and media company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Through its Bell operations, the company provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services, including mobile voice and data plans, high-speed internet, telephone services, and business communications solutions.

BCE also offers television services, including conventional, satellite, and internet-based television, as well as digital content and streaming products. Its media operations include television networks, specialty channels, digital media properties, and sports and news programming.