Faster networks will take these telcos higher

Article Excerpt

BCE has gained 19% since the start of 2019, while Telus is up 6%. The gains reflect falling interest rates, which have enhanced the appeal of these high-yielding dividend stocks. There’s more behind the share price increases: both firms continue to benefit from strong demand for wireless services as consumers give up their landlines. Moreover, each company is using its strong cash flow to build ultrafast 5G wireless networks. That helps both telecom’s profit as more devices, such as self-driving cars, connect to the Internet. We continue to see Telus and BCE as high-quality buys. BCE INC. $64 (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 898.8 million; Market cap: $57.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield: 5.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest traditional telephone service provider: it has 2.8 million residential customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. The company also has 3.5 million high-speed Internet users and 2.8 million TV…