BCE, Inc. $BCE Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 145.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 64,962 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 38,523 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in BCE were worth $1,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 735.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in BCE during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in BCE by 1,642.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in BCE in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in BCE by 64.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,096 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 1,217 shares in the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of BCE opened at $21.41 on Monday. BCE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.00 and a 52-week high of $26.52. The stock has a market cap of $19.97 billion, a PE ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $23.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. BCE had a net margin of 25.66% and a return on equity of 13.87%. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.790-1.910 EPS. Research analysts forecast that BCE, Inc. will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. BCE’s payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Securities raised shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on BCE from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.67.

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.