BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Shares Purchased by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 594.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 64,041 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 54,821 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in BCE were worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of BCE by 217.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in BCE by 1,147.3% during the fourth 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 period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. National Bankshares reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.00.

BCE Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of BCE stock opened at $22.72 on Friday. BCE Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.87 and a fifty-two week high of $36.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $23.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 189.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 0.99%. Equities research analysts predict that BCE Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.6965 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.26%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2,291.67%.

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.