BCE (Symbol-BCE)

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ig17
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by ig17 »

sydney2 wrote:We got a cheque for 67.00 last week.
Ditto.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by BRIAN5000 »

Pickles
Sold 1/4 of my ENB at 62.50. Since I bought at $28, it's a substantial capital gain, but I was becoming overweight in it because of its growth. Looking at BCE next as it approaches the price it enjoyed during the Teacher's courtship. I'm still studiously avoiding looking at BNS where I am grievously overweight, hoping to defer trimming until 2012. Stubee take note: BNS for me may be like ENB for you.
Do you have an estimated "Fair Value" on BCE ?
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Pickles
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Pickles »

BRIAN5000 wrote:Pickles
Looking at BCE next as it approaches the price it enjoyed during the Teacher's courtship.
Do you have an estimated "Fair Value" on BCE ?
Nope. It's currently selling around $39 a share. Teachers offered more for it 3 years ago than it is selling for now. Using that as a guide, would the fair value today be $45? $50? Profits are up, sure but so is by PE ratio. Book Value is only around $19.

Then there's another blue chipper: MFC, selling for $17.51 with a book value around $14.31 and a price/earnings ration that can't be calculated because MFC is still running a loss, not a profit. What's the fair value there?

It's all beyond me, BRIAN5000, but I got badly burned by the BCE/teachers fiasco (having moved my shares into my RRSP to capture the gain that turned into a loss) so I'm extra cautious.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by StuBee »

Pickles wrote:It's all beyond me, BRIAN5000, but I got badly burned by the BCE/teachers fiasco (having moved my shares into my RRSP to capture the gain that turned into a loss) so I'm extra cautious.
When it comes to BCE, I got lucky... I first purchased BCE in 1995. I continued to accumulate up until about 2004. If I recall correctly, The teacher led consortium offered about $42 in 2007. I was greedy, I was only going to sell at the strike price. I recall that for a variety of reasons, after getting near to $42 the price fell to the early 30's. Then the supreme court of canada in a ruling, allowed the proposed privitization to go forward... In early August of 2008,I sold my entire holding at $40 (I had learned not to wait for the strike price...). With the proceeds, I purchased MBT at $40. In late November of 2008 I was astonished to learn that the entire deal had suddenly fallen through as a result of an obscure solvency clause!!! In early Deccmber of 2008 (the day MBT went ex-dividend) I sold my MBT for $38/share and repurchased (substantially more) BCE at about $22 per share!!! To top it all off, BCE went ex-dividend a few days later. :lol: And today, BCE closed near $39.

As I mentioned, I got lucky... :wink:
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by gggupup »

Technically, BCE has been showing support around 37.89 and resistance in the 40.49 price range. MACD shows that it is NEUTRAL in short-term; and BULLISH in mid-long term.

Check here:
'http://www.stoxline.com/quote.php?symbol=bce'
Stoxline.com
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StuBee
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by StuBee »

Does anyone have an update of the situation with regards to the "break-up fee" (1.2 Billion $ if I recall...) which the purchasing consortium owes BCE as a result of the failed privatization of 2008? We are three years later and still no decision??
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by fisab »

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-in ... le2264650/

According to Boyd Erman:
And if BCE ever wins its attempt to sue Teachers for a $1.2-billion break fee that BCE still argues it's owed, there's a little bit more juice in the broken deal for BCE shareholders yet.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by ThinkDividends »

Patiently building wealth one dividend increase at a time…
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by mpav »

Intial gut reaction is I dont like the deal....financials seem that it will be positive to shareholders right out the gate, but I worry about two fundamental things 1) this company was really built by a few guys, looking them up in the BCE world may be tough 2) I still think telco's are overvalueing media assts.

Note I have some BCE shares but have been shifting my position to be more focused on Telus and Rogers.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by RomaneeConti »

I bought some BCE for the dividend yield and for some telecom exposure. After the purchase, I ran into an old colleague of mine who had just left BCE. He was singing the praises of BCE's CEO George Cope for his leadership and vision to grow the company.

I recently read in the Globe and Mail about the CEO's respect for The Four Screens: SmartPhones, Tablets, TVs, and Computers. These are what most eyeballs are viewing. I don't understand the Astral purchase, but perhaps out of desiring customers whose main access is their ears, not their eyes, it was appropriate to want radio assets in the stable of businesses in the BCE brand.

While radio can be a profitable business, all this diversification may or may not pan out. I'm reminded of Peter Lynch's One Up On Wall Street calling it de-worsification.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Bylo Selhi »

First some background. Several years ago, after many years as a direct BCE DRIP participant, I submitted paperwork to transfer all of my shares to TDW. ISTR that the last statement I got from the DRIP showed a small fractional share balance. I wondered where that came from, gave it no further attention and heard nothing from BCE. Until today when this statement helped keep my postie gainfully employed:
BCE.DRIP.jpg
I realize this isn't BCE's fault, but (a) BCE's logo is on the letter, (b) it's BCE's DRIP and (c) as a shareholder my (and your) BCE dividend payouts are reduced as a result of CIBC/Mellon's ineptitude. Plus I wonder if this will cost taxpayers in general when CIBC/Mellon continues the farce a year from now by sending me a T-3 in respect of this (hopefully by year end) 4¢ of annual income with a copy to CRA and I show it as income on my 2012 tax return.

I suppose I could end this entire farce right now by spending 61¢ on a stamp to mail CIBC/Mellon instructions to terminate my participation in BCE's DRIP. But then I'd get a cheque for only 12¢ which means I'd lose money.

Could I at least claim a capital loss of 61¢ - 12¢ = 49¢ on the sale?
Last edited by Bylo Selhi on 30 Apr 2012 15:35, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by BRIAN5000 »

You can go online at CST and close the account and they will issue a check and it's over. I got a check for .04 the other day just the way it goes. Resmor sent a T-slip for .08.
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Bylo Selhi
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Bylo Selhi »

BRIAN5000 wrote:You can go online at CST and close the account and they will issue a check and it's over.
Or I could do nothing and see how long this farce lasts :twisted:
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DavidR
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by DavidR »

Or donate the shares to charity :wink:
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Bylo Selhi
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Bylo Selhi »

DavidR wrote:Or donate the shares to charity :wink:
Yabbut then their broker would charge a brokerage fee to sell the 0.003 shares. That would be cruel and unusual punishment for the charity.

(Maybe I should go to CRA's website, find the charity that spent the highest percentage of its income on fundraising and then transfer the shares to them :evil: :evil: :evil: )
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ghariton
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by ghariton »

Bylo Selhi wrote:
BRIAN5000 wrote:You can go online at CST and close the account and they will issue a check and it's over.
Or I could do nothing and see how long this farce lasts :twisted:
My late father, who died in 1997, had some BCE shares and a DRIP, as did my late mother, who passed away in 2005. What with one thing and another, after liquidation, their estates each ended up with two shares of BCE. I'm still getting the dividend cheques. So far it hasn't been worth my while to sell the shares or notify BCE. I just file the cheques away (in a shoebox).

George
The juice is worth the squeeze
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by BRIAN5000 »

I'm in the process of toasting 20 -30 drips, it's not that hard, Computershare is all online, CST needs a one sheet of paper.
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Descartes
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Descartes »

Astral takeover rejected by CRTC. If there is a huge price dip tomorrow, I might be buying more BCE. As a stockholder, I'm a little disappointed however...

crtc announcement

edit: link to crtc announcement added
Last edited by Descartes on 18 Oct 2012 17:31, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by AltaRed »

BCE was getting too big as it was. We don't need increasing arrogance from bullies.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by JaydoubleU »

Astral takeover rejected by CRTC. If there is a huge price dip tomorrow, I might be buying more BCE. As a stockholder, I'm a little disappointed however...
Astral should drop, but does this have to mean BCE will too? I mean, there's $3.38 billion that BCE won't be spending on an acquisition. They can use it to pay down debt, upgrade infrastructure, or give some of it to shareholders :)

Course, that's just my wishful thinking.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Shine »

BCE is going to Steve and the Cabinet, and will most likely appeal to the Courts...will be interesting indeed.

http://gold.globeinvestor.com/servlet/A ... tocks/news

Does this mean BCE in the interim will shift their focus to Bell Aliant?
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by bpither »

Wouldn't be surprised to see BCE buy the rest of Bell Aliant - they presently own 44% - at a premium now that the Astral deal fell through. It's been rumored this might be the case, and at a premium, once the Astral deal was sealed ... any thoughts?
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Descartes
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by Descartes »

JaydoubleU wrote:Astral should drop, but does this have to mean BCE will too? I mean, there's $3.38 billion that BCE won't be spending on an acquisition. They can use it to pay down debt, upgrade infrastructure, or give some of it to shareholders :)
Down about 2%. Good enough for me to catch the knife.

As you say, they'll find another way to use those billions in a constructive way.

Although I don't see Bell Aliant being bought because of this failure. Aliant doesn't really address the strategy Bell was trying for with Astral (and the Aliant rumour has been about for years now). I suspect that Bell will try again with some media acquisition after learning how to better address the CRTC concerns from this attempt.
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by bribarb »

Another option that BCE would have is to buy Manitoba Telephone.
This might be a more viable purchase than Bell Alient?
Dose this make sense ?
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Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

Post by JaydoubleU »

Down about 2%. Good enough for me to catch the knife.
Does that mean you bought some?

I put in a real stink bid on the hope that there would be panic selling, but 2% wasn't nearly there. It was an ugly day all around. I'm not sure that Bell will want to buy MBT or Bell Aliant. Astral Media was a different strategy altogether.

I'm no expert in this business, but couldn't BCE try to build its own content, perhaps in a smaller, less threatening way? If its BIG they want to be, couldn't they consider buying telecom or media assets outside of Canada?
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