111 Capital Takes Position in BCE, Inc. $BCE

111 Capital purchased a new position in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 54,266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,267,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in BCE in the third quarter worth $31,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the second quarter valued at $42,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of BCE by 81.0% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,924 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 229.1% in the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 2,271 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in BCE by 340.0% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,574 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE:BCE opened at $26.29 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 0.60. BCE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.28 and a 1-year high of $26.49.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. BCE had a net margin of 26.14% and a return on equity of 16.30%. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BCE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. TD Securities restated a “buy” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on BCE from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

BCE 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.