Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 88,221 Shares of AT&T Inc. $T

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) by 12.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 776,184 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 88,221 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AT&T were worth $22,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in AT&T in the first quarter worth $29,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AT&T in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of AT&T in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AT&T in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AT&T during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.

AT&T Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of T opened at $24.67 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. AT&T Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.89 and a 12-month high of $29.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.05 billion, a PE ratio of 8.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.24.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $31.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.80 billion. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 16.94%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that AT&T Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.2775 dividend. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. AT&T’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

T has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of AT&T from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of AT&T from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $29.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered shares of AT&T from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of AT&T from $31.00 to $27.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of AT&T from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.19.

AT&T News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Nationwide spectrum acquisition completed: AT&T closed its approximately $23 billion purchase of wireless licenses from EchoStar. The deal adds roughly 50 MHz of spectrum—including 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum and 20 MHz of 600 MHz low-band spectrum—covering virtually every U.S. market. The additional capacity should support faster, more reliable 5G service and improve AT&T’s competitive position. AT&T Closes Acquisition of Spectrum Licenses from EchoStar
• Positive Sentiment: Potential operating efficiencies from D-Wave partnership: AT&T expanded its use of D-Wave Quantum’s (NASDAQ: QBTS) technology for network optimization, including outage detection, technician routing and traffic management. Initial testing reportedly reduced an optimization task from about one hour to 15 seconds. If scaled successfully, the technology could lower operating costs, improve outage response and make network investments more efficient. AT&T and D-Wave Expand Quantum Computing Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Financial backdrop remains supportive: AT&T recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.65 versus the $0.59 consensus, while revenue increased 2.3% year over year. Management also reiterated its financial outlook and capital-allocation plan. These results help reinforce confidence in the company’s dividend and ongoing network investments, although the spectrum transaction’s contribution to earnings will take time to develop.
• Negative Sentiment: Large capital commitment raises balance-sheet concerns: The $23 billion spectrum purchase is a significant investment for a highly capital-intensive, debt-laden telecom operator. The licenses should improve long-term capacity, but investors may remain concerned about financing costs, leverage and the need to generate sufficient returns from the additional spectrum.

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.