BCE (NYSE:BCE) Upgraded at Canaccord Genuity Group

Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on BCE. Zacks Research raised BCE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.00.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCE opened at $20.16 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $22.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.91. The firm has a market cap of $18.80 billion, a PE ratio of 9.88, a PEG ratio of 5.93 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. BCE has a 1-year low of $18.68 and a 1-year high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm 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. Research analysts predict that BCE will post 1.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of C$0.44 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. BCE’s payout ratio is 25.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of BCE during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of BCE by 99.3% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 1,363 shares during the period. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new position in BCE in the 1st quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in BCE by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,787 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Company Profile

BCE Inc, operating primarily under the Bell brand, is a Canadian communications and media company. Its telecommunications operations provide wireless voice and data services, broadband internet, television, home phone, and business communications solutions to consumers, organizations, and government customers across Canada.

Through Bell, the company offers mobile connectivity, fiber and other internet services, digital television, cloud services, cybersecurity, unified communications, and information technology solutions.