National Bank Financial Forecasts Weaker Earnings for BCE

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) – Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial dropped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for BCE in a research note issued on Thursday, January 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $2.38 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $2.67. National Bank Financial currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $3.11 per share.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on BCE from C$48.00 to C$51.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on BCE from C$37.50 to C$33.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$41.88.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE opened at C$34.40 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is C$37.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$43.05. BCE has a 12-month low of C$31.99 and a 12-month high of C$56.18. The firm has a market cap of C$31.38 billion, a PE ratio of 16.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a $0.9975 dividend. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 185.58%.

BCE Company 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.