Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Outlook for BCE Earnings

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of BCE in a report issued on Tuesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings of $0.47 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.50. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BCE’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.50 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.00 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.93 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.95 EPS.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Edward Jones cut BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.00.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCE opened at $23.39 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.76. BCE has a 1-year low of $21.87 and a 1-year high of $37.47. The firm has a market cap of $21.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 194.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,350.00%.

Institutional Trading of BCE

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCE. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of BCE by 6.8% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,006,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in BCE by 6.8% during 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 during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its position in BCE by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 13,655 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in 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. 41.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.