Wireless Will Fuel BCE’s Growth

Article Excerpt

We continued to recommend BCE for the past year and a half, despite the risk that its $42.75 takeover might fall through due to the developing credit crisis and bear market. That’s because, either way, we felt BCE still offered an attractive investment opportunity. Now that the possibility of a takeover (at a price anywhere near $42.75) has ended, BCE seems unduly depressed. This partly reflects dumping by traders who only held the stock because they wanted to profit from the takeover. It may also be partly due to a misunderstanding by some investors of BCE’s financial situation. Even without the likelihood of a takeover, BCE still has strong appeal. Its businesses continue to generate steady cash flows. A new restructuring plan will also give BCE more cash to invest in its high-growth operations, particularly wireless and high-speed Internet access. BCE could also unlock some of its value by spinning off or selling some of its operations. BCE INC. $23 (Toronto symbol BCE;…