BCE (NYSE:BCE) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. TD Securities upgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America upgraded BCE from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.25.

BCE Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE BCE opened at $23.29 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $22.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.10. BCE has a 12 month low of $20.87 and a 12 month high of $26.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The business had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that BCE will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in shares of BCE during the first quarter worth $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of BCE by 1,642.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in BCE in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Company Profile

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.