BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Stock Holdings Lifted by DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co

DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co raised its position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 1.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 374,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,659 shares during the quarter. BCE makes up approximately 2.3% of DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. DORCHESTER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Co’s holdings in BCE were worth $13,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BCE. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,610,000. Greenleaf Trust bought a new position in BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at $338,000. Leo Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of BCE by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 35,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 3,089 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of BCE by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 19,650 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter worth $253,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE traded down $0.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $33.06. 128,004 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,198,031. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.13 and a 12 month high of $41.77. The firm has a market cap of $30.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06, a PEG ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $34.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.19. BCE had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that BCE Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.729 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.82%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is 204.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on BCE shares. Cibc World Mkts raised BCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on BCE from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays decreased their price objective on BCE from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, National Bank Financial cut BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.33.

BCE 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.