This stalwart has long-term appeal

Article Excerpt

Dear client: BCE continues to invest heavily in its networks. Those improvements have helped the company attract more high-speed Internet customers. They’ve also helped BCE add more wireless subscribers as an increasing number of Canadian households give up their landlines. The company’s upcoming $3.9 billion acquisition of Manitoba Telecom will further expand BCE’s wireless business as well as its geographic reach and earnings. That should give the company more room to keep raising its dividend. BCE INC. $58 (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 870.7 million; Market cap: $50.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 4.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest telephone provider, with 6.3 million customers in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. It also has 3.5 million high-speed Internet users and 2.7 million TV subscribers. In all, these operations supplied 55% of BCE’s revenue in 2016. Another important business for the company is wireless services (33% of revenue). BCE serves 8.5 million cellphone…