BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$44.68.

BCE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays dropped their price target on BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of BCE from C$47.00 to C$41.00 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. TD Securities dropped their target price on shares of BCE from C$39.00 to C$37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of BCE from C$47.00 to C$45.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

BCE Stock Down 1.1 %

BCE stock opened at C$36.32 on Monday. BCE has a twelve month low of C$35.92 and a twelve month high of C$56.18. The company has a market cap of C$33.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$41.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.9975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.99%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 185.58%.

About BCE

BCE Inc, a communications company, provides wireless, wireline, Internet, and television (TV) services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in Canada. The company operates through two segments, Bell Communication and Technology Services, and Bell Media. The Bell Communication and Technology Services segment provides wireless products and services including mobile data and voice plans and devices; wireline products and services comprising data, including internet access, internet protocol television, cloud-based services, and business solutions, as well as voice, and other communication services and products; and satellite TV and connectivity services for residential, small and medium-sized business, government, and large enterprise customers.