BCE, Inc. $BCE Shares Sold by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,620,047 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 39,863 shares during the quarter. BCE comprises approximately 1.1% of Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in BCE were worth $40,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of BCE by 735.3% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,161 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of BCE opened at $21.46 on Tuesday. BCE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.87 and a 52-week high of $26.52. The company has a market capitalization of $20.02 billion, a PE ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 13.87% and a net margin of 25.66%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.88 EPS for the current year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.2%. BCE’s payout ratio is 25.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Securities upgraded BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.67.

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.