745,088 Shares in BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) Purchased by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE) (TSE:BCE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 745,088 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $17,271,000. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.08% of BCE as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BCE. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of BCE by 121.2% during the third 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. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake 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 valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in BCE during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCE by 321.0% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of BCE in the 3rd quarter worth $65,000. Institutional investors own 41.46% of the company’s stock.

BCE Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of BCE stock opened at $23.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.77 and a 200 day moving average of $30.46. The company has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 331.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.56. BCE Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.87 and a fifty-two week high of $41.51.

BCE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.737 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.69%. This is a boost from BCE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4,028.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on BCE in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. National Bank Financial cut shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Bank of America lowered shares of BCE from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of BCE in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Edward Jones downgraded shares of BCE from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

About BCE

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.