The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 1,934,724 Shares of BCE, Inc. $BCE

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its position in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,103,638 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,934,724 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in BCE were worth $66,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in BCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in BCE during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in BCE by 1,642.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at $23.38 on Friday. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $22.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.80. BCE, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.87 and a fifty-two week high of $26.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.80 billion, a PE ratio of 4.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 0.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. BCE had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 25.49%.BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. Analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.93 EPS for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is 25.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America raised BCE from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BCE from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BCE currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.25.

BCE Profile

BCE Inc is a Canadian communications and media company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Through its Bell operations, the company provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services, including mobile voice and data plans, high-speed internet, telephone services, and business communications solutions.

BCE also offers television services, including conventional, satellite, and internet-based television, as well as digital content and streaming products. Its media operations include television networks, specialty channels, digital media properties, and sports and news programming.