Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $47.49 and last traded at $47.34, with a volume of 50284 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Telephone and Data Systems from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research lowered Telephone and Data Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Telephone and Data Systems in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.67.

Telephone and Data Systems Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $42.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.01 and a beta of 0.32.

Telephone and Data Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.04 dividend. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 65.6% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 699 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 681 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 121.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 830 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 53.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. 80.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Telephone and Data Systems

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.