Investors Buy High Volume of AT&T Call Options (NYSE:T)

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders purchased 88,823 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 42% compared to the average volume of 62,428 call options.

AT&T News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AT&T this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AT&T beat second-quarter earnings estimates, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.65 versus expectations of $0.59, which helped lift sentiment around the stock. Why AT&T Stock Rallied Today
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the quarter, saying AT&T’s wireless execution was strong, subscriber growth was solid, and concerns about SpaceX/Starlink competition may be overblown. AT&T Stock Gets Upgraded. SpaceX Worries Are Overblown.
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded AT&T after earnings, reinforcing the view that the company’s core business trends are improving. Wolfe Research Just Upgraded AT&T Stock. Here’s Why.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from the Q2 earnings call highlighted a fiber-led growth path, margin expansion, and faster buybacks, which supports the long-term investment case. T Q2 Earnings Call Points to Fiber-Led Growth Path
• Neutral Sentiment: AT&T continues to be discussed as a momentum stock and as attractively valued, but those views mostly reinforce the existing thesis rather than add a new near-term catalyst. Here’s Why AT&T (T) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: AT&T’s 2026 outlook still depends on fiber, 5G, and bundling growth, but investors remain aware of risks from wireless promotions, legacy declines, and heavy capital spending. AT&T Stock Outlook Hinges on Fiber Growth and Wireless Risks in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Argus trimmed its price target on AT&T from $33 to $30, which may temper some of the post-earnings enthusiasm despite keeping a Buy rating. AT&T had its price target lowered by Argus

AT&T Trading Up 4.9%

T traded up $1.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.09. 56,821,836 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,051,695. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $22.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.40 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. AT&T has a 52-week low of $19.89 and a 52-week high of $29.79.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $31.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.80 billion. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 16.94%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AT&T will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.2775 dividend. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. AT&T’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

T has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer lowered AT&T from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. TD Cowen increased their price target on AT&T from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their price target on AT&T from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AT&T from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AT&T from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AT&T currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.19.

Institutional Trading of AT&T

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in AT&T by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 48,579 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 10,188 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AT&T by 4,352.9% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,234 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $180,000 after buying an additional 6,094 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of AT&T by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 26,796 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in AT&T by 19.6% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 55,730 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,613,000 after acquiring an additional 9,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its stake in AT&T by 1.8% in the second quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 207,063 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,992,000 after acquiring an additional 3,677 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc is a global telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and digital entertainment services. Its core activities include consumer and business wireless services, broadband and fiber internet, and network infrastructure. The company operates branded wireless services through AT&T Mobility and deploys fixed-line and fiber networks to deliver high-speed internet and related home services.

AT&T’s product and service portfolio spans mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and device sales, home internet (including fiber-to-the-home where available), and managed connectivity solutions for enterprise customers.