Two blue-chip leaders with gains ahead

Article Excerpt

BCE and Metro are leading competitors in their respective markets; look for that to cut your ongoing risk. We see both as buys. BCE INC., $57.66, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares o/s: 912.3 million; Market cap: $52.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Yield: 6.7%) is Canada’s largest traditional telephone service provider. It has 2.10 million residential customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. It also has 4.34 million high-speed Internet users and 2.72 million TV subscribers (satellite and fibre-optic). In addition, it sells wireless services to 12.6 million users across Canada. BCE continues to benefit from strong demand for mobile phone service due to the launch of new smartphones and the expansion of its ultrafast 5G wireless networks. In the quarter ended June 30, 2023, overall revenue rose 3.5%, to $6.07 billion from $5.86 billion a year earlier. However, higher interest costs cut earnings before unusual items by 8.7%, to $722 million from $791 million. Due to more shares outstanding, per-share…