Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $36.22 and last traded at $36.21, with a volume of 717978 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $35.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on TDS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Telephone and Data Systems from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Telephone and Data Systems Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a PE ratio of -6.74 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.01.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.19. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 1.12% and a negative net margin of 10.72%. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.16) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. 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 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.04 per share. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently -2.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems during the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,395 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,302 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. 80.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Telephone and Data Systems Company Profile

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.