Scotiabank Weighs in on BCE’s FY2026 Earnings (NYSE:BCE)

BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) – Scotiabank reduced their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of BCE in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, September 17th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings of $1.87 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $1.90. Scotiabank has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $1.92 per share.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. BCE had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The business had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. BCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.798-1.919 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded BCE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of BCE from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America raised shares of BCE from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $24.50 to $27.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered BCE from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.25.

BCE Price Performance

BCE stock opened at $21.71 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $22.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $20.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.52. BCE has a 52-week low of $20.87 and a 52-week high of $26.52.

BCE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.77%.

Institutional Trading of BCE

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCE. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of BCE during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of BCE by 99.3% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares during the period. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the first quarter worth approximately $78,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,082 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

About BCE

BCE Inc is a Canadian communications and media company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Through its Bell operations, the company provides wireless and wireline telecommunications services, including mobile voice and data plans, high-speed internet, telephone services, and business communications solutions.

BCE also offers television services, including conventional, satellite, and internet-based television, as well as digital content and streaming products. Its media operations include television networks, specialty channels, digital media properties, and sports and news programming.