Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.3333.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted 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 report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. Zacks Research cut Telephone and Data Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Telephone and Data Systems from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th.

Telephone and Data Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TDS opened at $45.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -69.46 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $44.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.68. Telephone and Data Systems has a 1-year low of $31.07 and a 1-year high of $47.79.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.23. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 2.25% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The business had revenue of $330.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $319.28 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.10) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Telephone and Data Systems will post -0.31 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Telephone and Data Systems’s payout ratio is presently -24.62%.

Institutional Trading of Telephone and Data Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 65.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 699 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 51.3% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 681 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 121.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 830 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 53.1% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.00% of the company’s stock.

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.