BCE (NYSE:BCE) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.05 EPS

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.05, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $4.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. BCE had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. BCE updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.910-1.980 EPS.

BCE Trading Up 0.0%

BCE stock traded up $0.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $23.17. 2,912,986 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,258,992. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.61 billion, a PE ratio of 79.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. BCE has a 52 week low of $20.28 and a 52 week high of $28.64.

BCE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 437.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCE

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BCE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BCE by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,581 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc lifted its holdings in BCE by 34.6% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 3,555 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in BCE by 17.5% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 13,106 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 1,955 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in BCE by 92.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 2,081 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.1% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 90,245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 2,698 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised BCE from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Desjardins raised BCE from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, National Bankshares reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BCE currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

About BCE

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.