Viking Fund Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in AT&T Inc. $T

Viking Fund Management LLC increased its position in AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) by 9.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 425,000 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,000 shares during the quarter. AT&T comprises about 1.5% of Viking Fund Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Viking Fund Management LLC’s holdings in AT&T were worth $12,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AT&T by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 661,355,210 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $19,139,620,000 after purchasing an additional 10,310,560 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of AT&T by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 321,070,509 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $9,291,781,000 after purchasing an additional 7,404,376 shares during the period. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AT&T in the second quarter worth $5,266,758,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in AT&T by 1.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 172,039,872 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,958,066,000 after buying an additional 2,066,026 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in AT&T during the second quarter worth about $2,228,655,000. Institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on AT&T from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of AT&T from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of AT&T from $33.00 to $29.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AT&T in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of AT&T in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AT&T presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.36.

Key Headlines Impacting AT&T

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

• Positive Sentiment: AT&T gained roughly $1.3B in annual revenue via December price hikes on wireless and internet plans — a near-term revenue and cash-flow tailwind that supports dividend coverage and debt reduction. AT&T gains $1.3B annual revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary argues T is undervalued and positioned for secular growth from 5G, fiber and machine-to-machine/AI-driven demand — a fundamental bullish case that could support multiple expansion if execution continues. AT&T: The ‘Machine Economy’ Is The Real Driver
• Positive Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted a modest uptick in the stock amid a weaker broader market, suggesting short-term buying interest or rotation into yield names. AT&T (T) Rises As Market Takes a Dip
• Neutral Sentiment: Profile piece on AT&T’s CISO highlights executive background and cybersecurity focus — positive for corporate governance/PR but unlikely to move fundamentals on its own. AT&T exec manifested his CISO job
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market note: week-end market strength mixed with housing softness — broader sentiment could influence cyclical flows into telecom/dividend names but is not AT&T-specific.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its price target on T from $33 to $29 while keeping a Buy rating — this reduces analyst-implied upside and may temper momentum among investors who track target changes. Goldman lowers price target
• Negative Sentiment: Two lawmakers raised concerns about EchoStar’s deals to sell spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX — regulatory scrutiny or delays could impede AT&T’s spectrum buildout plans and add execution risk for 5G expansion. Lawmakers raise concerns about Echostar deals
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing data-breach settlement and claim deadlines (multiple state notices) keep potential legal exposure and reputational risk on the radar — possible cash settlements or litigation costs remain a downside catalyst. Were you affected by an AT&T data breach?

AT&T Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE T opened at $24.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.83, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.38. AT&T Inc. has a one year low of $21.38 and a one year high of $29.79. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The technology company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54. AT&T had a net margin of 17.87% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The company had revenue of $30.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that AT&T Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.2775 per share. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. AT&T’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.04%.

AT&T Company Profile

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.