Scotiabank Brokers Increase Earnings Estimates for BCE

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Scotiabank raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of BCE in a research note issued to investors on Friday, April 10th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.88 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $1.86. Scotiabank currently has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. TD Securities lowered BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Barrington Research upgraded BCE from an “underperform” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $21.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded BCE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.67.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $23.88 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $25.46 and its 200-day moving average is $24.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.27 billion, a PE ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.58. BCE has a 1-year low of $21.04 and a 1-year high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.04. BCE had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 26.14%.The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. BCE’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.3%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCE. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in BCE by 36.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 278,745 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,400,000 after buying an additional 75,053 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in BCE by 64.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 1,217 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new position in BCE during the second quarter worth about $407,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in BCE by 92.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 2,081 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in BCE by 237.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 265,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,894,000 after buying an additional 186,965 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.