The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that BCE announced on Nov. 4 that it "intends to maintain its annual common share dividend at the current level of $3.99 per share during the financial year ending December 31, 2025." The Globe's John Heinzl writes that BCE added that it "intends to pause dividend growth until BCE's dividend payout and net debt leverage ratios are tracking towards our target policy ranges." Mr. Heinzl says the fact that BCE said nothing about maintaining the current dividend rate beyond the end of 2025 indicates to him that a cut may be on the table. Some analysts say this would be the right move for the company. Given BCE's pledge to maintain its dividend through 2025, analysts do not expect a reduction immediately, but longer term, maintaining the dividend while reaching BCE's payout ratio and debt leverage targets could prove challenging. "We now assume a 25-per-cent dividend cut in 2026, to approximately $3.00" a share, TD Cowen analyst Vince Valentini said in a note. BCE's shares closed Friday at $37.94 and are yielding 10.5 per cent based on the current dividend rate. Such a high yield indicates that investors are skeptical that the dividend will be maintained at current levels.