BCE (NYSE:BCE) Receives “Underweight” Rating from Barclays

BCE (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE)‘s stock had its “underweight” rating reiterated by analysts at Barclays in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Edward Jones cut shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America downgraded shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on BCE in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Three investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.00.

BCE Stock Up 0.4 %

BCE stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $23.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,636,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,402,652. BCE has a 12 month low of $21.87 and a 12 month high of $41.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $24.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.57. The company has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a PE ratio of 331.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of BCE by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 27,614 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $894,000 after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in BCE by 2.6% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in BCE by 28.0% in the second quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 4,456 shares in the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of BCE in the second quarter worth about $428,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of BCE by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 76,469 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,476,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

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.