Growth continues for BCE

Article Excerpt

BCE INC. $35.41 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 755.6 million; Market cap: $26.8 billion; TSI Network Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 5.6%; www.bce.ca) continues to profit from recent upgrades to its wireless and high-speed Internet networks. As a result, BCE’s earnings rose 11.9% in 2010, to $2.2 billion from $1.9 billion in 2009. Earnings per share rose 13.6%, to $2.84 from $2.50. Revenue rose 1.9% in 2010, to $18.1 billion from $17.7 billion. Wireline revenue (which accounts for 57% of BCE’s total revenue) rose just 0.3%. New high-speed Internet and satellite-TV subscribers offset lower local and long-distance telephone revenue. At the end of 2010, BCE had 2.1 million high-speed Internet subscribers (up 2.0%) and 2.0 million TV subscribers (up 3.7%). Wireless revenue (27% of overall revenue) rose 8.2%. That’s because the company added 408,746 wireless subscribers, net of deactivations, during the year. That brings its total wireless customers to 7.2 million. BCE is still a buy. buy…