Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Takes Position in United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 11,797 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock, valued at approximately $740,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,791 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $928,000 after acquiring an additional 5,779 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 37.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,657 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 227,397 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $14,262,000 after acquiring an additional 1,350 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 73.9% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 480,250 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $30,121,000 after acquiring an additional 204,146 shares during the period. Finally, Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,815,844 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $113,890,000 after acquiring an additional 35,052 shares during the period. 18.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United States Cellular Price Performance

Shares of USM stock traded up $0.77 on Friday, hitting $61.80. 168,566 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 192,101. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.39. United States Cellular Co. has a 12 month low of $41.25 and a 12 month high of $70.79. The stock has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -171.66 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $65.78 and a 200 day moving average of $64.19.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.16). United States Cellular had a positive return on equity of 1.55% and a negative net margin of 0.79%. The business had revenue of $891.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.90 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that United States Cellular Co. will post 0.57 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

USM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded United States Cellular from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United States Cellular from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 price objective (down from $83.00) on shares of United States Cellular in a research report on Monday, May 5th.

United States Cellular Profile

United States Cellular Corporation provides wireless telecommunications services in the United States. The company offers wireless services, including voice, messaging, and data services. It also provides wireless devices, such as handsets, tablets, mobile hotspots, home phones, and routers, as well as wireless essentials, including cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards; and consumer electronics comprising audio, home automation, and networking products.