Kingsview Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,250 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in BCE were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of BCE by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of BCE by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. now owns 11,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network raised its position in shares of BCE by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its position in shares of BCE by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its position in BCE by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 11,331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCE opened at $27.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a PE ratio of 386.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.97. BCE Inc. has a one year low of $26.45 and a one year high of $41.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.737 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.91%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,214.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BCE shares. Edward Jones lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

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.