AT&T (NYSE:T) Given New $28.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

AT&T (NYSE:T) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the technology company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on T. Barclays lowered their price objective on AT&T from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AT&T from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $30.00 price target on AT&T in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AT&T from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of AT&T from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AT&T presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.25.

AT&T Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:T opened at $24.91 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.67 billion, a PE ratio of 8.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.25. AT&T has a 1 year low of $19.89 and a 1 year high of $29.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $24.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.84.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.06. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 16.94%.The company had revenue of $31.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Analysts expect that AT&T will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. AT&T’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in T. Andra AP fonden boosted its position in shares of AT&T by 1.5% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 739,787 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $15,314,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in AT&T by 5.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 334,273,613 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,919,464,000 after acquiring an additional 18,468,679 shares during the period. Premier Financial Group acquired a new position in AT&T during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new position in AT&T during the 2nd quarter valued at $100,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in AT&T by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 42,926 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $889,000 after purchasing an additional 2,174 shares during the period. 57.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting AT&T

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades support the bullish case. BNP Paribas upgraded AT&T to Outperform from Neutral and raised its price target from $26 to $30, citing reduced handset subsidies, a more rational U.S. wireless market and successful rate increases. Morgan Stanley also raised its target from $27 to $28 while maintaining an Overweight rating. Can AT&T Turn Higher ARPU Into Bigger Cash Flow? AT&T Stock Price Expected to Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Higher average revenue per user could improve cash flow. BNP Paribas expects AT&T’s wireless service revenue growth to accelerate as customers absorb price increases and competitive intensity eases. Investors are watching whether stronger revenue translates into better free cash flow and continued debt reduction.
• Positive Sentiment: New connectivity services provide incremental monetization opportunities. AT&T Turbo Live offers enhanced connectivity at sports venues for an additional fee, while the company expanded its Dallas Cowboys partnership through 2055. The initiatives may strengthen customer engagement, although their near-term financial contribution is uncertain. AT&T Turbo Live Connectivity
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent weakness was steeper than the broader market. A market recap reported that AT&T closed at $24.91 after declining more than the overall market, but it did not identify a new company-specific negative catalyst. AT&T Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Price increases may create macroeconomic and customer-retention risks. Economists have linked wireless plan changes by AT&T and T-Mobile to inflation concerns and a potential Federal Reserve rate hike. Higher rates could pressure valuation and income-oriented telecom stocks, while further price increases could test customer tolerance. AT&T Price Hikes and Federal Reserve Rate Hike

About AT&T

AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related connectivity services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, internet access, fiber broadband, fixed wireless services, and business communications solutions.

The company serves consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations primarily in the United States. AT&T’s business operations include wireless network services, wireline connectivity, fiber-optic internet, voice services, and networking solutions designed to connect locations, devices, and applications.

AT&T traces its history to the Bell System and has operated under its current corporate name since 2005, following the acquisition of AT&T Corp.