BCE (NYSE:BCE) Hits New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $21.50 and last traded at $21.5310, with a volume of 4919956 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BCE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, May 29th. TD Securities lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.67.

BCE Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $20.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.51. 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 (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 25.66%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.1%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 735.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in BCE during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in BCE in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in BCE by 1,642.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

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.