BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Receives C$45.36 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$44.86.

Several research firms recently commented on BCE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on BCE from C$47.00 to C$41.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on BCE from C$45.00 to C$42.00 in a research note on Tuesday. National Bankshares dropped their price target on BCE from C$48.00 to C$42.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Cormark dropped their price target on BCE from C$53.00 to C$52.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

BCE Price Performance

BCE stock opened at C$37.92 on Thursday. BCE has a 52 week low of C$36.95 and a 52 week high of C$56.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of C$43.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$45.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43. The stock has a market cap of C$34.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.9975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.52%. BCE’s payout ratio is currently 185.58%.

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.