Core Viewpoint - BCE reported quarterly earnings of $0.56 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.50 per share, with a year-over-year comparison showing no change in earnings [1] - The company posted revenues of $4.59 billion for the quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.71%, but down from $4.76 billion a year ago [2] Group 1: Earnings Performance - BCE's earnings surprise was 12%, while the previous quarter saw a negative surprise of -3.51% [1][2] - Over the last four quarters, BCE has only surpassed consensus EPS estimates once [2] Group 2: Revenue Insights - The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once in the last four quarters [2] - Current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.48 on revenues of $4.2 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $2 on revenues of $17.13 billion [7] Group 3: Stock Performance and Outlook - BCE shares have increased by approximately 7.4% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 3.1% [3] - The current estimate revisions trend for BCE is unfavorable, resulting in a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating expected underperformance in the near future [6] Group 4: Industry Context - The Diversified Communication Services industry, to which BCE belongs, is currently in the bottom 11% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a challenging environment [8] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can impact BCE's stock performance [5]

Core Insights - BCE Inc. reported steady financial results for Q4 and full-year 2024, balancing growth with profitability while transforming its business and reducing costs [2][5] - The company achieved its highest annual adjusted EBITDA margin in over 30 years at 43.4% [3][25] - BCE's strategic roadmap for 2025 focuses on customer-centric initiatives, enhancing fibre and 5G services, growing business technology services, and expanding digital media offerings [5][21] Financial Performance - Q4 2024 operating revenues were $6,422 million, down 0.8% year-over-year, while full-year revenues decreased 1.1% to $24,409 million [19][21] - Net earnings for Q4 increased 16.1% to $505 million, with net earnings attributable to common shareholders rising 20.7% to $461 million, or $0.51 per share [19][21] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q4 grew 1.5% to $2,605 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 40.6%, the highest for Q4 in over three decades [19][25] Subscriber Metrics - Total mobile phone and connected device net subscriber activations in Q4 reached 151,413, while retail Internet net activations were 34,187, contributing to a 3.4% growth in Internet revenue [19][34] - Postpaid mobile phone net activations decreased significantly by 56.1% year-over-year to 56,550 due to competitive pressures and market conditions [28] - BCE's retail IPTV customer base saw a net decrease of 444 subscribers in Q4, contrasting with a net gain of 23,537 in the same quarter of the previous year [28] Digital and Media Growth - Digital revenues accounted for 42% of total media revenue in 2024, up from 35% in 2023, with a 19% increase in digital revenue year-over-year [4][34] - Bell Media's operating revenue increased by 1.2% in Q4 to $832 million, driven by higher advertising and subscriber revenues [34] - Crave subscriptions grew by 18% year-over-year, reaching over 3.6 million, with a record number of hours viewed in Q4 2024 [34] Capital Expenditures and Cash Flow - Capital expenditures in Q4 were $963 million, down 6.4% from the previous year, with total capital expenditures for 2024 at $3,897 million [19][25] - Free cash flow decreased by 32.2% in Q4 to $874 million, attributed to lower cash flows from operating activities and higher interest payments [19][25] - BCE maintained its annualized common share dividend at $3.99 per share, with a participation rate of approximately 34% in its discounted treasury dividend reinvestment plan [36][21]

Core Viewpoint - Wall Street anticipates a year-over-year decline in BCE's earnings and revenues for the quarter ended December 2024, with actual results being crucial for stock price movement [1][3]. Earnings Expectations - BCE is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.51 per share, reflecting an 8.9% decrease year-over-year, and revenues are projected at $4.49 billion, down 5.6% from the previous year [3]. - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised 1.37% lower in the last 30 days, indicating a bearish sentiment among analysts [4]. Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Zacks Earnings ESP model indicates that BCE's Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the consensus estimate, resulting in an Earnings ESP of -2.63%, which suggests a challenging outlook for beating earnings expectations [10][11]. - BCE currently holds a Zacks Rank of 5, further complicating the prediction of an earnings beat [11]. Historical Performance - In the last reported quarter, BCE was expected to post earnings of $0.57 per share but delivered only $0.55, resulting in a surprise of -3.51% [12]. - Over the past four quarters, BCE has only beaten consensus EPS estimates once [13]. Conclusion - BCE does not appear to be a strong candidate for an earnings beat, and investors should consider other factors when making decisions regarding the stock ahead of the earnings release [16].

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MONTRÉAL, Jan. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE) (NYSE: BCE) today announced that 8,050 of its 8,779,487 fixed-rate Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series AF ("Series AF Preferred Shares") have been tendered for conversion on February 1, 2025, on a one-for-one basis, into floating-rate Cumulative Redeemable First Preferred Shares, Series AE ("Series AE Preferred Shares"). In addition, 2,479,334 of its 5,810,913 Series AE Preferred Shares have been tendered for conversion on February ...

I'm an ex-Project Manager for the luxury real estate auction company, Concierge Auctions, that has been studying stock investing since I was 14 years old. After leaving the company, I began focusing on my efforts on analyzing various investments and writing about them. My primary investing strategy revolves around buying income investments and using the income to buy undervalued stocks with long-term growth opportunities. If you follow me, you can expect to see analysis on high-yield income ETFs and growth ...

BCE Inc.’s (BCE) subsidiary Bell Media has partnered with Point Grey Pictures and Lionsgate Studios Corp. (LION) to develop and produce a new scripted television series. This collaboration, established through Lionsgate's first-look deal with Point Grey, marks Point Grey's first venture into creating a scripted show for the Canadian market.This announcement coincides with the upcoming March premiere of The Studio, a half-hour comedy from Point Grey and Lionsgate, on Apple TV+. Point Grey is renowned for its ...

BCE Inc.’s (BCE) subsidiary Bell Media recently collaborated with Shopsense AI to offer millions of Canadian viewers a cutting-edge second-screen shopping experience.  Shopsense, a pioneer in shoppable TV technology, is expanding its reach beyond the United States for the first time, integrating its innovative Commerce OS into Canadian programming. The partnership, debuting on CTV’s The Good Stuff with Mary Berg and Etalk, is poised to bolster Canadian audiences' engagement with television content.With this ...

BCE Inc. (BCE) recently joined forces with Microsoft (MSFT) to launch services for Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile for Canadian businesses. This innovative solution builds on Bell’s established collaboration with Microsoft, aiming to deliver a flexible, secure and high-performance communication system that bridges mobile connectivity with Microsoft Teams. This mobile-first innovation integrates mobile numbers directly with Microsoft Teams, creating a unified platform for communication and collaboration. It pro ...

Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRP) Updates - BCE Inc has implemented amendments to its Shareholder Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan (DRP) allowing the issuance of new common shares from treasury at a 2% discount to the Average Market Price starting with the dividend payable on January 15 2025 [2][3] - The discount applies to common shares distributed under the DRP but not to purchases made via optional cash payments [3] - The equity issuances from the discounted DRP are expected to help BCE retain cash for strategic growth initiatives and strengthen its balance sheet [4] DRP Participation and Enrollment - The DRP offers eligible BCE common shareholders a convenient way to acquire additional shares without commission or brokerage fees by reinvesting cash dividends or making optional cash payments [5] - The annual limit for optional cash payments has been increased from Cdn$20 000 to Cdn$40 000 [5] - Existing DRP participants will automatically receive the 2% discount on the dividend payable on January 15 2025 while new participants must enroll by December 16 2024 [6] - Beneficial owners of BCE common shares should consult their financial institution or broker to participate in the DRP [6] Regulatory and Investor Information - BCE has filed a registration statement with the SEC to register sales of newly issued common shares in the US under the DRP [8] - The prospectus related to these sales is available on the SEC's website BCE's website and the Agent's website [8] - Common shares offered under the DRP outside the US will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 [9] Company Overview - BCE is Canada's largest communications company based on total revenue and total combined customer connections providing broadband Internet wireless TV media and business communications services [10][12] - Through its Bell for Better initiative BCE supports community social and economic prosperity including the Bell Let's Talk initiative promoting mental health awareness and funding community care research and workplace leadership [11]