Scotiabank Has Pessimistic Outlook of BCE FY2025 Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Scotiabank decreased their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for BCE in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 19th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.96 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.00. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 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%.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on BCE. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. National Bankshares restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

BCE Price Performance

BCE stock opened at $22.54 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 187.83, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. BCE has a one year low of $21.87 and a one 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 fifty day moving average price of $23.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in BCE by 217.6% during 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 bought a new position in BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in BCE by 1,147.3% in 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 period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in BCE in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.36%. 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.