Scotiabank Has Negative Outlook for BCE FY2025 Earnings

BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) – Equities researchers at Scotiabank decreased their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for BCE in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, January 8th. Scotiabank analyst M. Yaghi now forecasts that the company will earn $2.87 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $3.18. The consensus estimate for BCE’s current full-year earnings is $3.11 per share.

BCE has been the subject of several other research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of BCE from C$45.00 to C$41.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, National Bankshares decreased their target price on BCE from C$37.00 to C$35.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$41.88.

BCE Stock Performance

Shares of BCE stock opened at C$33.99 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is C$36.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$42.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 197.43. The firm has a market cap of C$31.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48. BCE has a 52 week low of C$31.99 and a 52 week high of C$56.18.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.9975 per share. This represents a $3.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.