BCE (NYSE:BCE) Upgraded at National Bank Financial

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at National Bank Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for BCE’s FY2025 earnings at $1.95 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on BCE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. National Bankshares reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE Stock Performance

NYSE:BCE opened at $22.74 on Thursday. BCE has a 1-year low of $21.62 and a 1-year high of $36.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $23.52 and a 200 day moving average of $26.63. The company has a market capitalization of $20.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 189.48, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BCE will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in BCE by 6.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of BCE by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 25,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $904,000 after acquiring an additional 3,352 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $802,000. Centiva Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 100.6% in the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 20,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 10,273 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of BCE by 9.0% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 60,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,096,000 after purchasing an additional 4,970 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is 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.