BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Purchased by Liberty One Investment Management LLC

Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 203,687 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,762 shares during the quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in BCE were worth $4,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in BCE by 121.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 321.0% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in BCE in the third quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new position in BCE in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $76,000. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BCE Trading Up 1.5 %

BCE stock opened at $23.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. BCE Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.87 and a 52-week high of $41.77. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.64. The firm has a market cap of $21.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 330.79, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.737 dividend. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4,028.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Edward Jones cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of BCE from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. National Bank Financial cut BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BCE has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

BCE 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.