Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.6667.

A number of research firms have weighed in on TDS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Telephone and Data Systems in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Telephone and Data Systems from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research lowered Telephone and Data Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th.

Insider Transactions at Telephone and Data Systems

In other Telephone and Data Systems news, CAO Anita J. Kroll sold 870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.16, for a total transaction of $34,069.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 25.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 42,165 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $1,633,000 after buying an additional 8,640 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 67,125 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $2,574,000 after acquiring an additional 11,769 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 58,721 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems in the 1st quarter worth about $248,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 45.7% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,708 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after purchasing an additional 11,521 shares during the period. 80.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Telephone and Data Systems Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of TDS opened at $45.82 on Monday. 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 52 week low of $31.07 and a 52 week high of $47.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.43 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.62 and a 200-day moving average of $39.80.

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

Telephone and Data Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently -14.81%.

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.