T-Mobile US Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:TMUS)

T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 24,220 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 131% compared to the average volume of 10,463 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on TMUS. KeyCorp raised T-Mobile US from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of T-Mobile US in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded T-Mobile US from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $250.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Argus cut their target price on shares of T-Mobile US from $275.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of T-Mobile US in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, T-Mobile US presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.17.

T-Mobile US Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:TMUS traded up $1.91 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $197.67. The stock had a trading volume of 4,340,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,531,708. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $210.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.65. T-Mobile US has a twelve month low of $194.01 and a twelve month high of $276.49. The firm has a market cap of $221.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The Wireless communications provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.01. T-Mobile US had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 19.76%. The company had revenue of $21.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that T-Mobile US will post 10.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

T-Mobile US Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. T-Mobile US’s payout ratio is 39.23%.

Insider Activity at T-Mobile US

In other T-Mobile US news, Director Telekom Ag Deutsche sold 1,374 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.46, for a total value of $302,912.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 582,065,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $128,322,242,802.50. This trade represents a 0.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Srini Gopalan bought 9,800 shares of T-Mobile US stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $201.82 per share, for a total transaction of $1,977,836.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,215,869.56. This represents a 12.18% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 979,442 shares of company stock valued at $223,402,816. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of T-Mobile US

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TMUS. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in T-Mobile US by 14.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,530 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $1,556,000 after buying an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC bought a new position in shares of T-Mobile US in the 2nd quarter valued at about $284,000. Berkshire Bank raised its holdings in shares of T-Mobile US by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 12,593 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $3,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp lifted its stake in T-Mobile US by 50.6% in the 2nd quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 25,903 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $6,172,000 after purchasing an additional 8,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its holdings in T-Mobile US by 930.5% during the second quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 195,267 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $46,524,000 after purchasing an additional 176,319 shares during the period. 42.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About T-Mobile US

T-Mobile US is a national wireless carrier that provides mobile voice, messaging and data services to consumers, businesses and wholesale customers across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company operates a nationwide mobile network and offers device sales, equipment financing and support services through retail stores, online channels and distribution partners. T-Mobile positions its products around bundled service plans, device offerings and value-added features for both individual and enterprise customers.

Product offerings include postpaid and prepaid wireless plans under the T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile brands, as well as connectivity solutions for small and large businesses.