AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Eighteen firms rate AT&T a “Moderate Buy,” including 12 buys, five holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $29.20, with BNP Paribas Exane recently upgrading the stock to “outperform” and raising its target to $30.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial: Institutional investors own 57.1% of AT&T, while major holders including State Street, Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon increased their positions.
• Quarterly earnings exceeded expectations: AT&T reported adjusted EPS of $0.65 versus the $0.59 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 2.3% year over year to $31.56 billion, slightly below forecasts. Shares opened at $25.43, within a 12-month range of $19.89 to $29.43.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.20.

Several research analysts recently commented on T shares. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of AT&T from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of AT&T in a report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $30.00 price objective on AT&T in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Scotiabank decreased their target price on AT&T from $31.00 to $29.25 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AT&T from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AT&T

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in AT&T by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 332,089,723 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $8,249,109,000 after purchasing an additional 8,314,678 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of AT&T by 4.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 125,191,700 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,629,307,000 after buying an additional 5,449,222 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AT&T during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,181,977,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of AT&T by 12.7% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 72,764,509 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,109,443,000 after buying an additional 8,197,935 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of AT&T by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 50,375,637 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,251,331,000 after buying an additional 482,321 shares during the period. 57.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AT&T Stock Up 0.5%

T opened at $25.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $174.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.88. AT&T has a twelve month low of $19.89 and a twelve month high of $29.43.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.06. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 16.94%.The company had revenue of $31.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Research analysts forecast that AT&T will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc NYSE: T is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband internet, voice, and related connectivity services. Its offerings include mobile phone and data plans, fiber-optic internet, fixed wireless access, traditional voice services, and networking solutions for businesses and government customers.

The company serves consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations primarily across the United States. AT&T also provides wireless services in Mexico and operates extensive communications networks that support mobile connectivity, internet access, data transmission, and enterprise communications.

AT&T traces its history to the development of the Bell System and has evolved through a series of reorganizations and acquisitions.

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