
TSE:BCE
Why are Telecom stocks down 3%? You need to look at the global telco space. They are all down, and this is on the expectations that we are going to see higher rates. The dividends are growing in the segment and that is going to continue, but we are at a point where secular rotation is going to start to push funds into other areas of the economy, and are going to take capital from areas that have worked. He wouldn’t sell if you are looking for dividends, but if looking for capital gain, this may not be what you are looking for longer-term. Great story and the dividend is safe.
Generally, company dynamics are looking decent. A mature industry, but they are getting a bump up in wireless subscribers. The Canadian economy is doing okay, slightly better year-over-year. On the negative side, there is a large capital expenditure build, where they are building fibre optics to the home in the greater Toronto area. He worries they are spending into a bit of a vacuum on pricing. TV pricing is what anchors the relationship, and that TV pricing is increasingly being cut. That doesn’t impact their ability to pay the dividend, maintain it, and probably to increase it.
In the big 3 telcos, which is the best? He is predisposed to BCE (BCE-T). Likes their 5-growth. Everything that he has done with them has been remarkably better than his experiences with the other 2 major telcos. It has the 2nd highest yield in the telcos. They continue to surprise the analysts. His 2nd choice would be Telus (T-T).
A 3 year chart shows it is in a longer term uptrend and is bouncing off the trend line. You need a one year or longer time horizon. $56-$57 is a good entry point. Dividend is currently 4.79%. (Analysts’ Target: $62.39).