Brokerages Set BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) Price Target at C$45.36

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$45.36.

BCE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Desjardins increased their price objective on shares of BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Cormark lowered their target price on shares of BCE from C$53.00 to C$52.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of BCE from C$50.50 to C$47.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of BCE from C$47.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at C$37.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.43. BCE has a 1-year low of C$36.95 and a 1-year high of C$56.18. The firm has a market capitalization of C$34.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average is C$44.06 and its 200 day moving average is C$45.38.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.9975 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.66%. BCE’s payout ratio is 185.58%.

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.