AT&T (NYSE:T) Shares Up 2.6% - What's Next?

Key Points

• AT&T shares rose 2.6% on the day, with trading volume surging to nearly 84 million shares, well above its average session volume.
• Investor sentiment looks supportive ahead of Q2 earnings: hedge funds boosted exposure, and several analysts maintained or raised price targets, with the consensus rating still at Moderate Buy.
• Fundamentals remain mixed but generally positive: AT&T recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance, and offers a 5.0% dividend yield, though higher customer fees could pressure churn.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) rose 2.6% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $22.18 and last traded at $21.99. 83,997,703 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 73% from the average session volume of 48,470,418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.43.

Trending Headlines about AT&T

Here are the key news stories impacting AT&T this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hedge funds increased exposure to AT&T ahead of next week’s Q2 earnings, suggesting growing institutional confidence in the stock. Hedge Funds Dial Up Holdings in AT&T Ahead of Q2 Earnings, But Say Bye to Verizon and Comcast
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank set a new $29.25 price target on AT&T, while KeyCorp recently raised multiple earnings estimates and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing expectations for solid results and upside potential. AT&T NYSE: T Given New $29.25 Price Target at Scotiabank
• Positive Sentiment: AT&T said its AI system to prevent network outages cut customer downtime by more than 12 million hours, highlighting improved network reliability and a potential competitive advantage. AT&T built an AI system to prevent network outages. It reduced customer downtime by more than 12 million hours
• Positive Sentiment: AT&T’s latest carrier report showed big improvements, and Ookla analysis said AT&T offers the fastest converged wireless and fiber speeds in the nation, supporting the company’s network quality narrative. AT&T Shows Big Improvements in Latest Carrier Report
• Neutral Sentiment: AT&T is promoting Fanatics Fest NYC and broader sports-fandom activations, which are good marketing for the brand but likely less material to near-term earnings. AT&T Connects Fans to the Moments Defining Sports Culture at Fanatics Fest NYC
• Negative Sentiment: AT&T customers are facing higher monthly fees, which could add to churn or consumer frustration even if it helps revenue. AT&T customers to pay more as monthly fee jumps: Here's why

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

T has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered AT&T from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of AT&T in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AT&T from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of AT&T from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of AT&T from $29.00 to $31.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AT&T currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.34.

AT&T Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.79 billion, a PE ratio of 7.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.24.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.02. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 16.94%.The company had revenue of $31.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that AT&T Inc. will post 2.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.2775 dividend. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. AT&T's payout ratio is presently 37.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AT&T

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of AT&T in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in AT&T during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in AT&T during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AT&T during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of AT&T by 362.8% in the 4th quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the technology company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.10% of the company's stock.

AT&T Company Profile

AT&T Inc is a global telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and digital entertainment services. Its core activities include consumer and business wireless services, broadband and fiber internet, and network infrastructure. The company operates branded wireless services through AT&T Mobility and deploys fixed-line and fiber networks to deliver high-speed internet and related home services.

AT&T's product and service portfolio spans mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and device sales, home internet (including fiber-to-the-home where available), and managed connectivity solutions for enterprise customers.

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