StockNews.com Lowers Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) to Sell

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

Telephone and Data Systems Stock Performance

Shares of Telephone and Data Systems stock opened at $16.02 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.77. Telephone and Data Systems has a 1-year low of $6.43 and a 1-year high of $21.75. The company has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.17 and a beta of 0.81.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The Wireless communications provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.01. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 0.21% and a negative net margin of 9.69%. The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.38) EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Telephone and Data Systems will post -1 EPS for the current year.

Telephone and Data Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Telephone and Data Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio is -15.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,248,615 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $224,762,000 after purchasing an additional 565,371 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 161,422 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $2,963,000 after purchasing an additional 10,482 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 258,044 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $4,735,000 after purchasing an additional 20,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 74.7% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 945,537 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $17,351,000 after purchasing an additional 404,334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.00% of the company’s stock.

Telephone and Data Systems Company Profile

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc, a telecommunications company, provides communications services in the United States. It operates through two segments: UScellular and TDS Telecom. The company offers wireless solutions to consumers, and business and government customers, including a suite of connected Internet of things (IoT) solutions, and software applications for monitor and control, business automation/operations, communication, fleet and asset management, smart water solutions, private cellular networks and custom, and end-to-end IoT solutions; wireless priority services and quality priority and preemption options; smartphones and other handsets, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, fixed wireless home internet, and IoT devices; and accessories, such as cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards, as well as consumer electronics, including audio, home automation and networking products.