Cullen Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 4,975,496 BCE, Inc. $BCE

Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,975,496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $107,023,000. Cullen Capital Management LLC owned about 0.53% of BCE at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in BCE by 735.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in BCE in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in BCE in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in BCE by 1,642.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in BCE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BCE opened at $23.84 on Tuesday. BCE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.87 and a 1-year high of $26.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.51.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that BCE, Inc. will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.3%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 7th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of BCE from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America upgraded shares of BCE from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, TD Securities upgraded shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCE currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.25.

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.