Blueshift Asset Management LLC Has $352,000 Holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC boosted its position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 153.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,173 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in BCE were worth $352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its stake in shares of BCE by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in BCE by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in BCE by 6.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of BCE by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,835 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of BCE by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 148,741 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Price Performance

BCE opened at $22.72 on Friday. BCE Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.87 and a 1 year high of $36.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 189.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $23.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.52.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%. As a group, analysts anticipate that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.6965 per share. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s payout ratio is 2,291.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on BCE. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. National Bankshares restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

BCE Company Profile

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.