BCE (NYSE:BCE) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $26.13 and last traded at $26.18, with a volume of 523087 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $26.90.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on BCE shares. National Bank Financial lowered shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Edward Jones lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

BCE Stock Down 1.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The company has a market capitalization of $24.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 376.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50-day moving average is $30.17 and its 200-day moving average is $32.60.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.737 dividend. This is an increase from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.10%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4,214.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of BCE by 55.9% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 12,845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 4,605 shares during the period. Logan Capital Management Inc. grew its position in BCE by 4.5% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 103,643 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,607,000 after buying an additional 4,438 shares during the period. Old North State Trust LLC increased its holdings in BCE by 25.2% in the third quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 7,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in BCE by 138.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 8,633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the 3rd quarter worth about $137,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.