AT&T (NYSE:T) Trading 2.1% Higher - Time to Buy?

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 2.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $27.72 and last traded at $27.50. Approximately 10,855,084 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 36,310,161 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $31.00 price objective (up previously from $30.00) on shares of AT&T in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AT&T from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on AT&T from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. TD Securities boosted their target price on AT&T from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on AT&T in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.17.

AT&T Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.42. The company's 50 day moving average price is $27.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.49.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $30.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.39 billion. AT&T had a return on equity of 13.63% and a net margin of 9.64%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AT&T Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be paid a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. AT&T's dividend payout ratio is 68.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AT&T

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AT&T in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AT&T during the second quarter worth $26,000. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its stake in shares of AT&T by 412.1% in the 2nd quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 973 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of AT&T by 182.1% in the 1st quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 993 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AT&T during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.10% of the company's stock.

About AT&T

AT&T, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of telecommunications and technology services. It operates through the Communications and Latin America segments. The Communications segment offers wireless, wireline telecom, and broadband services to businesses and consumers located in the US and businesses globally.

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