BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Holdings Raised by Forsta AP Fonden

Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 36.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 213,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,700 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in BCE were worth $4,937,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Griffin Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BCE in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of BCE by 1,147.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of BCE by 23.7% in the 4th quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 3,686 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in BCE by 640.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 2,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in BCE during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,522,000. 41.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BCE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, BCE has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

BCE Trading Down 0.3 %

BCE stock opened at $23.83 on Friday. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.87 and a 12 month high of $40.99. The stock has a market cap of $21.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 340.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.13. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.737 dividend. This is a boost from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4,028.57%.

About BCE

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.