Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Has $10.43 Million Stock Holdings in BCE, Inc. $BCE

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 20.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 485,021 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 127,394 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in BCE were worth $10,433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BCE. 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 shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in BCE in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in BCE by 1,642.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in BCE in the fourth quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BCE. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Securities raised shares of BCE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.25.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of BCE opened at $23.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.09. BCE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.87 and a 52-week high of $26.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a PE ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.51.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $4.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that BCE, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.36%.

BCE 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.