Asset Planning Inc Invests $105,000 in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE)

Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,525 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $105,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BCE. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in BCE by 1,147.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in BCE by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,981 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC grew its position in BCE by 640.0% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 2,560 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on BCE. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Edward Jones downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.50.

BCE Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCE opened at $23.61 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 196.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. BCE Inc. has a 52 week low of $21.87 and a 52 week high of $38.14.

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.03. BCE had a net margin of 0.99% and a return on equity of 17.89%. On average, equities analysts predict that BCE Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.6965 dividend. This represents a $2.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2,350.00%.

BCE 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.