BCE (NYSE:BCE) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.790-1.910 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 1.870. The company issued revenue guidance of $17.7 billion-$18.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $18.1 billion.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BCE traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $24.15. 2,514,205 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,409,290. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. BCE has a 1 year low of $21.09 and a 1 year high of $26.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.30. The stock has a market cap of $22.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. BCE had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 26.14%.The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.79 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that BCE will post 1.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 7.2%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCE has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Securities lowered BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Barrington Research upgraded shares of BCE from an “underperform” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $21.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BCE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.67.

Key Headlines Impacting BCE

Here are the key news stories impacting BCE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BCE reported first-quarter results that beat earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 4% year over year on strength in Bell CTS U.S./Ziply and Media, while free cash flow improved and postpaid subscriber additions rebounded. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted AI-related growth opportunities and said AI demand is boosting Bell Business Markets, with some reports pointing to a C$2 billion AI revenue target, which could support a longer-term growth narrative. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: BCE also announced a quarterly dividend, reinforcing its appeal for income-focused investors with a high yield profile. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved all items at the annual meeting, including election of directors, with little immediate market impact expected. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: BCE’s full-year guidance came in below consensus on both EPS and revenue, which may be limiting upside despite the earnings beat. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Separate headlines about Bell firing employees over alleged attendance violations could add a modest governance/reputation overhang, though the direct financial impact appears limited. Article title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $100,999,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec lifted its position in shares of BCE by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 34,107,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,161,000 after acquiring an additional 3,024,110 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of BCE by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,136,466 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $408,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250,106 shares during the period. FIL Ltd lifted its position in shares of BCE by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 37,579,448 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $896,398,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992,000 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in shares of BCE by 234.3% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,963,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,451 shares during the period. 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.