Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Telephone and Data Systems from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Telephone and Data Systems from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Telephone and Data Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Telephone and Data Systems Price Performance

TDS stock opened at $44.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $43.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.62. Telephone and Data Systems has a 52-week low of $31.07 and a 52-week high of $47.79. The company has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a PE ratio of -68.08 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $330.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $319.28 million. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 2.25% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The business’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.10) EPS. Analysts predict that Telephone and Data Systems will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telephone and Data Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -24.62%.

Institutional Trading of Telephone and Data Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Axecap Investments LLC bought a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the third quarter valued at $2,441,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 4.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,607,857 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $128,368,000 after acquiring an additional 137,494 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 456,451 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $17,911,000 after acquiring an additional 80,670 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $496,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Telephone and Data Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $241,000. 80.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Telephone and Data Systems Company Profile

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc (NYSE: TDS) is a diversified telecommunications company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides a broad array of communications services, including wireless voice and data, wireline broadband and voice, cable television, and managed IT and cloud solutions. Its two primary operating units—TDS Telecom and U.S. Cellular—serve residential, business and wholesale customers across the United States.

TDS Telecom focuses on delivering broadband internet, digital voice, video and data communications services in primarily rural and suburban markets.