Expect higher dividends from BCE

Article Excerpt

Dear client: BCE continues to spend heavily to improve its high-speed Internet and wireless networks. The upgrades will help the utility hang on to its existing customers and attract new ones. That’s especially true in Western Canada, where BCE’s recent purchase of Manitoba Telecom also positions it for strong growth. The company’s stable cash flow is more than enough to cover the costs of those network improvements. In fact, even with its extra spending, BCE has plenty of room to keep raising its dividend. BCE INC. $58 (Toronto symbol BCE; Income-Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 899.5 million; Market cap: $52.2 billion; Dividend yield: 4.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest telephone provider, with 6.6 million customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. It also has 3.7 million high-speed Internet users and 2.8 million TV subscribers. In all, these operations supplied 54% of BCE’s revenue in the first quarter of 2017. The company also has 8.9 million wireless subscribers across Canada. That…