Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.50.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Telephone and Data Systems from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Telephone and Data Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Telephone and Data Systems from $51.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 19th.

Telephone and Data Systems Trading Down 1.1%

Telephone and Data Systems stock opened at $35.94 on Tuesday. Telephone and Data Systems has a 52 week low of $31.51 and a 52 week high of $49.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a current ratio of 3.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.98 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.06.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The Wireless communications provider reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $2.15. The firm had revenue of $309.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.78 million. Telephone and Data Systems had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 33.20%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.05) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Telephone and Data Systems will post -0.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Telephone and Data Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.04 dividend. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 5.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Knighthead Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the first quarter valued at $18,764,000. Carronade Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Carronade Capital Management LP now owns 4,623,934 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $194,668,000 after buying an additional 420,340 shares during the period. Rokos Capital Management LLP acquired a new position in Telephone and Data Systems during the 1st quarter worth about $21,040,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,482,147 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $272,898,000 after buying an additional 90,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentinel Dome Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,920,000. 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 that provides broadband, voice, video, wireless and managed communications services in the United States. Its operations primarily serve residential, business and government customers in smaller cities, suburban communities and rural markets.

TDS Telecom is the company’s primary operating business. It delivers high-speed internet, fiber-based connectivity, traditional and digital voice services, video entertainment, hosted and managed services, and other communications solutions.