AT&T Inc. $T Stock: Sanders Morris Harris LLC Boosts Position

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: Sanders Morris Harris raised its AT&T stake by 57.9% to 138,902 shares, while other funds also added positions. Hedge funds and institutional investors now own 57.1% of the stock.
• Analysts remain generally positive: AT&T has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with 11 Buy, six Hold, and one Sell rating and an average price target of $29.05 versus a recent price of $23.07.
• Income and strategic catalysts stand out: AT&T pays a $0.2775 quarterly dividend, representing a 4.8% annualized yield, and plans to sell its Mexican wireless business for $2 billion to focus capital on U.S. fiber and 5G. Potential competitive pressure from SpaceX and a $177 million data-breach settlement remain risks.

Sanders Morris Harris LLC raised its holdings in AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Free Report) by 57.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 138,902 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 50,918 shares during the period. Sanders Morris Harris LLC's holdings in AT&T were worth $3,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in T. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in AT&T by 67.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 168,683 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,116,000 after buying an additional 67,678 shares during the last quarter. Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest grew its position in shares of AT&T by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest now owns 15,291 shares of the technology company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AT&T by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 22,162 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AT&T in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Finally, Signal Advisors Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of AT&T by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 101,886 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,486,000 after acquiring an additional 33,348 shares in the last quarter. 57.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on AT&T from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of AT&T in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AT&T from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of AT&T from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of AT&T from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $24.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.05.

AT&T Stock Performance

Shares of AT&T stock traded up $0.22 on Wednesday, reaching $23.07. 57,736,876 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 48,580,367. The firm has a market cap of $158.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.25. AT&T Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.89 and a 1-year high of $29.43. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $24.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.53.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.06. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 16.94%. The business had revenue of $31.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. The business'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. As a group, research analysts expect that AT&T Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a $0.2775 dividend. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. AT&T's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.75%.

Key Headlines Impacting AT&T

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

• Positive Sentiment: AT&T agreed to sell its Mexican wireless business to a consortium of Grupo Televisa and Fintech Holdings for $2 billion in cash, plus potential contractual and contingent benefits. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approval, and should allow AT&T to concentrate capital on U.S. fiber and 5G expansion. AT&T to Sell AT&T Mexico to Grupo Televisa and Fintech Holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and earnings previews point to potential earnings growth and a possible consensus-beating quarterly report. AT&T previously exceeded EPS expectations, and the company’s full-year 2026 guidance remains $2.25 to $2.35 per share, supporting the investment case at a low valuation multiple. AT&T Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: The Mexico divestiture reinforces management’s changing priorities: rather than emphasizing debt reduction alone, AT&T is increasingly highlighting focused capital allocation and investment in its U.S. connectivity businesses. The stock trades at roughly 7.4 times earnings versus about 22.5 times for the S&P 500, which may attract value and income investors. Why You Should Think About AT&T Differently Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: A court approved a $177 million settlement covering two 2024 AT&T data breaches. The payment creates a legal cost and reputational overhang, although the settlement resolves the associated claims. AT&T Settlement Payout
• Negative Sentiment: Bernstein downgraded AT&T and reduced telecom-sector price targets, citing potential disruption from SpaceX’s expanding wireless ambitions. Competitive pressure could challenge subscriber growth and pricing across the industry. AT&T Stock Rises Despite a Downgrade on SpaceX Competition

About AT&T

AT&T Inc NYSE: T is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related connectivity services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, internet access, fiber broadband, fixed wireless services, and business communications solutions.

The company serves consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations primarily in the United States. AT&T’s business operations include wireless network services, wireline connectivity, fiber-optic internet, voice services, and networking solutions designed to connect locations, devices, and applications.

AT&T traces its history to the Bell System and has operated under its current corporate name since 2005, following the acquisition of AT&T Corp.

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