Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.04 on December 30th

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of 0.04 per share by the Wireless communications provider on Tuesday, December 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th.

Telephone and Data Systems has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years. Telephone and Data Systems has a payout ratio of -64.0% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Research analysts expect Telephone and Data Systems to earn ($0.20) per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $0.16 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of -80.0%.

Telephone and Data Systems Price Performance

Telephone and Data Systems stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $38.41. 834,388 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 890,023. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -35.56 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s 50-day moving average is $38.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 1.89. Telephone and Data Systems has a 12 month low of $31.07 and a 12 month high of $42.74.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $308.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.16 billion. Telephone and Data Systems had a negative net margin of 1.46% and a positive return on equity of 1.15%. Telephone and Data Systems’s quarterly revenue was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.73) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Telephone and Data Systems will post -0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Telephone and Data Systems in a report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Telephone and Data Systems in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.67.

About Telephone and Data Systems

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc, a telecommunications company, provides communications services in the United States. It operates through two segments: UScellular and TDS Telecom. The company offers wireless solutions to consumers, and business and government customers, including a suite of connected Internet of things (IoT) solutions, and software applications for monitor and control, business automation/operations, communication, fleet and asset management, smart water solutions, private cellular networks and custom, and end-to-end IoT solutions; wireless priority services and quality priority and preemption options; smartphones and other handsets, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, fixed wireless home internet, and IoT devices; and accessories, such as cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards, as well as consumer electronics, including audio, home automation and networking products.