D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Increases Position in United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM - Free Report) by 41.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 179,909 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock after purchasing an additional 52,396 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.21% of United States Cellular worth $11,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in shares of United States Cellular by 73.9% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 464,685 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $29,145,000 after buying an additional 51,362 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of United States Cellular by 588.6% during the fourth quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 55,483 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $3,480,000 after buying an additional 47,426 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of United States Cellular by 78.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 93,781 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $5,882,000 after acquiring an additional 41,093 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of United States Cellular in the 4th quarter worth about $2,569,000. Institutional investors own 18.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on USM. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $78.00 target price (down previously from $83.00) on shares of United States Cellular in a research note on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United States Cellular from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded United States Cellular from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

United States Cellular Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE USM traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $61.62. 7,912 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 191,373. United States Cellular Co. has a 1 year low of $41.25 and a 1 year high of $70.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -170.94 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $65.78 and a 200 day moving average of $64.21.

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

About United States Cellular

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.