BCE (TSE:BCE) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE) (NYSE:BCE) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$32.44 and last traded at C$32.63, with a volume of 3703728 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$33.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on BCE from C$45.00 to C$41.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. National Bank Financial lowered shares of BCE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on BCE from C$45.00 to C$42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on BCE from C$46.00 to C$41.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of BCE from C$41.00 to C$37.50 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of C$43.38.

BCE Price Performance

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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is C$39.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$44.02. The stock has a market capitalization of C$29.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.48.

BCE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.9975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.22%. BCE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 185.58%.

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.