Scotiabank Has Bearish Forecast for BCE FY2025 Earnings

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Stock analysts at Scotiabank decreased their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of BCE in a report released on Friday, November 28th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $1.90 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.95. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for BCE’s FY2026 earnings at $2.08 EPS.

BCE has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays lowered their target price on BCE from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. National Bankshares restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of BCE from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.00.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at $23.54 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $23.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.95 billion, a PE ratio of 81.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.62. BCE has a 52-week low of $20.28 and a 52-week high of $27.44.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.05. BCE had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The company had revenue of $4.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. BCE’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. BCE has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of BCE by 735.3% during the 3rd 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 period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Morningstar Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in BCE during the third quarter worth $5,044,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in BCE by 1.3% during the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 464,417 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,775,000 after purchasing an additional 5,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in BCE by 20.1% in the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,772 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 2,137 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.78%.

BCE Company Profile

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.