We still prefer high-quality telcos over bonds

Article Excerpt

Dividend yields for these two telecom firms have spiked in the past few weeks. That’s mainly because rising interest rates are prompting income-seeking investors to buy bonds. However, it looks like the current cycle of interest rate hikes has peaked and rates could fall in the next year. That should spur investors to shift back to these high-quality dividend payers and so lift their share prices. BCE INC. $51 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol BCE; Income-Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 912.3 million; Market cap: $46.5 billion; Dividend yield: 7.6%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest traditional telephone service provider. It has 2.1 million residential customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. BCE also has 4.34 million high-speed Internet users and 2.72 million TV subscribers (satellite and fibre-optic). In addition, it sells wireless services to 12.6 million users across Canada. BCE has raised your dividend rate each year since 2008. The latest increase came in April 2023 when the quarterly…