Analysts Set BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Price Target at $30.00

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.00.

Several brokerages have issued reports on BCE. TD Securities upgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, July 10th.

BCE Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $21.84 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $23.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.35. 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 has a one year low of $20.87 and a one year high of $26.52. The company has a market cap of $20.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. BCE had a net margin of 25.66% and a return on equity of 13.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Analysts anticipate that BCE will post 1.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.0%. BCE’s payout ratio is 25.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in 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 purchased a new stake in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in shares of BCE during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 1,642.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter worth $60,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.