Scotiabank Has Negative Outlook of BCE FY2026 Earnings

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities researchers at Scotiabank decreased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for BCE in a report released on Wednesday, February 11th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $1.86 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.04. Scotiabank has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. BCE had a net margin of 26.14% and a return on equity of 16.30%. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 earnings per share. BCE’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on BCE. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of BCE from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of BCE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. Finally, Barrington Research raised BCE from an “underperform” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $21.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at $25.71 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $24.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.92. BCE has a fifty-two week low of $20.28 and a fifty-two week high of $26.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.97 billion, a PE ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 0.60.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is 25.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BCE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in BCE by 2,459.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in BCE by 1,642.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About BCE

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.