Desjardins Issues Negative Forecast for BCE Earnings

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Equities research analysts at Desjardins lowered their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for BCE in a report released on Wednesday, October 15th. Desjardins analyst J. Dubreuil now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $0.48 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.49. Desjardins has a “Moderate Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.94 per share. Desjardins also issued estimates for BCE’s FY2025 earnings at $1.91 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.95 EPS.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.91 billion. BCE had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. BCE has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on BCE. Cibc World Mkts lowered shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. National Bankshares reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 15th. TD Securities raised BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. CIBC reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at $23.95 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.63. BCE has a 52 week low of $20.28 and a 52 week high of $33.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $24.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.03.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.3%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 437.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the second quarter worth $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 2,459.6% during the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,402 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the first quarter worth $35,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the second quarter worth $42,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.