BCE (NYSE:BCE) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, May 29th. TD Securities raised BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.67.

BCE Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of BCE stock opened at $21.20 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $19.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.38. BCE has a 1-year low of $20.87 and a 1-year high of $26.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.04. BCE had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 25.66%.The business had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Analysts predict that BCE will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of BCE by 735.3% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in shares of BCE in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 1,642.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

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.