Strong quarter for BCE

Article Excerpt

BCE INC. $38.47 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 759.5 million; Market cap: $30.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.4%; www.bce.ca) continues to attract new wireless customers, thanks to its recent network upgrades. Strong revenue from wireless, high-speed Internet and TV services continues to offset lower revenue from BCE’s traditional phone operations. That’s why the company’s overall revenue rose just 0.7% in the three months ended March 31, 2011, to $4.5 billion from $4.4 billion a year earlier. However, BCE continues to realize savings from a recent restructuring. Before one-time items, earnings rose 16.3% in the latest quarter, to $543 million from $467 million. Earnings per share rose 18.0%, to $0.72 from $0.61, on fewer shares outstanding. That beat the consensus earnings estimate of $0.69 a share. The company now expects to earn between $2.95 and $3.05 a share in 2011. The stock trades at 12.8 times the midpoint of that range. As well, BCE has raised its quarterly dividend by 5.1%,…