National Bank Financial Comments on BCE Q1 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities researchers at National Bank Financial issued their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for BCE in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 26th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $0.43 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for BCE’s FY2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on BCE. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. National Bankshares reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Up 2.2 %

BCE stock opened at $23.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 192.94, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. BCE has a twelve month low of $21.87 and a twelve month high of $36.17. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.16.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%.

Institutional Trading of BCE

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BCE. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in BCE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 217.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in BCE during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in BCE by 1,147.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in BCE in the third quarter valued at $51,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,291.67%.

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.