$BCE

Canadian analysts show selective optimism, favoring gold miners and energy sectors, while retail and transportation see cautious outlooks. Key updates: Allied Gold (AAUC:CA) maintained Outperform at C$39.00, Aritzia (ATZ:CA) rated Buy at C$180.00, Athabasca Oil (ATH:CA) downgraded to Sell at C$12.00, and Cenovus Energy (CVE:CA) sees mixed target revisions.

BCE stock fell 1.3% to $28.82, hitting a 52-week low of $28.76, as it went ex-dividend and investors reacted to a Bell Canada-Cisco AI partnership announcement. The stock has declined from a 52-week high of $36.25 due to concerns over revenue compression and competition. BCE is sensitive to interest rate expectations, which have weighed on its performance.

Bell Canada (BCE) and Cisco (CSCO) agreed to build AI infrastructure for Canadian organizations. BCE offers a 6.11% dividend yield, is undervalued by 16.6% per GF Value, and has a GF Score of 72. The stock has a P/E ratio of 4.34x, near its 10-year low, with mixed institutional interest.

Bell Canada (BCE) and Cisco (CSCO) have agreed to collaborate on AI infrastructure for Canadian organizations, combining Bell's data centers and networks with Cisco's AI technologies. They aim to support AI workloads for government and regulated industries, with a focus on data sovereignty. The partnership will evaluate Cisco AI PODs and Sovereign Critical Infrastructure alongside Bell's data center capacity.

Insiders at Altus Group (AIF) and BCE (BCE) bought shares, while BMO (BMO) and CGI (GIB.A) insiders sold. BMO's Piyush Agrawal sold 10,073 shares for over $1.2M. CGI's Rakesh Aerath sold 3,226 shares for over $123,000, and Stephanie Mango sold 15,167 shares for over $558,000.

BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE) has faced challenges, including regulatory pressures and high debt, leading to a 40% stock price decline over three years. Q2 results showed revenue up 1.5% to $6.2B, EBITDA up 1% to $2.7B, and free cash flow over $1B. Wireless trends improved, and Ziply's U.S. network expansion gained momentum. Bell Media and AI Fabric segments showed growth. BCE's net debt leverage ratio improved to 3.7 times, with a target of 3.5 by 2027.

Bell Canada (TSX: BCE, NYSE: BCE) and Cohere have deployed a cybersecurity AI model for Bell Cyber's operations. The model, running on Bell AI Fabric, uses Cohere's AI tech and Bell Cyber's data to accelerate threat investigations. It is designed to analyze security info, summarize findings, and support workflows, keeping data within a Canadian-hosted environment. This marks the first customer-facing solution from their strategic AI collaboration.

BCE reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $0.47, missing estimates by 2.08%, with sales down 1.5% to $4.461 billion. Despite YoY growth, results fell short of expectations. Barclays lowered its price target to $25 but maintained an Equal-Weight rating.

Desjardins Securities analyst Chris Li upgraded Dollarama Inc. (DOL-T) after its Q2 2027 results beat estimates, citing resilient demand and strong growth prospects. Li raised his revenue and earnings projections but lowered his target price to $210. RBC and National Bank also revised their targets upward. BCE Inc. (BCE-T) was highlighted by Desjardins Securities for its Bell AI Fabric initiative, with a target price increase to $43. Ventum Capital initiated coverage of Silver X Mining Corp. (AG

Canadian analysts updated ratings and price targets for various companies. Enbridge (ENB) and TC Energy (TRP) received upgrades, while Evertz Technologies (ET) saw multiple target reductions. Notable changes include BCE (BCE) upgraded to BUY, Canfor (CFP) raised to STRONG BUY, and West Fraser (WFG) target increased. Several new coverages were initiated, including for Calian Group (CGY) and Skeena Resources (SKE).