Falling interest rates enhance their appeal

Article Excerpt

Our favourite telecom stocks—BCE and Telus—have rebounded from their recent lows. That’s mainly because the Bank of Canada has cut its benchmark interest rate three times since June, from 5.00% to 4.25%. Lower interest rates help boost the appeal of high dividend-paying stocks compared to bonds. Falling rates also make it easier for telecom providers to service their debt and fund new projects. Telus’s related subsidiary Telus International has struggled since becoming a public company and as it absorb a recent acquisition. Still, we like its long-term prospects, and its high-quality clientele also cuts your risk. BCE INC. $48 is your #1 Income Buy for 2024. The company (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 912.3 billion; Market cap: $43.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 8.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bce.ca) has 1.92 million residential telephone customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. It also has 4.52 million high-speed Internet users and 2.12 million fibre-optic TV subscribers. In…