Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. Reduces Position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc. trimmed its stake in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,862 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 994 shares during the quarter. Caldwell Sutter Capital Inc.’s holdings in BCE were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in BCE by 121.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of BCE during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in shares of BCE by 321.0% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of BCE during the third quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in BCE by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. 41.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCE Stock Performance

BCE stock opened at $23.24 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $24.77 and its 200-day moving average is $30.46. BCE Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.87 and a 12 month high of $41.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $21.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 331.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.56.

BCE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.737 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.69%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4,028.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday. Edward Jones lowered BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of BCE in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, National Bank Financial lowered shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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.