AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in AT&T by 2.5%, acquiring an additional 1,307,009 shares, leading to a total of 53,339,376 shares owned, representing 0.4% of their investment portfolio.
• AT&T's quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $0.54, surpassing analysts' estimates, with revenues reaching $30.85 billion, reflecting a 3.4% increase from the previous year.
• Analyst price targets for AT&T have risen, with Barclays setting a target of $30.00, and other firms also providing upward revisions, contributing to an overall consensus target price of $29.66.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,339,376 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,307,009 shares during the quarter. AT&T comprises about 0.4% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.74% of AT&T worth $1,508,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AT&T during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AT&T during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AT&T in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in AT&T in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC lifted its position in AT&T by 182.1% during the first quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 993 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. 57.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AT&T Stock Up 0.5%

T stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.89. 37,018,071 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 33,399,430. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $27.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.21. AT&T Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.08 and a 12-month high of $29.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. AT&T had a net margin of 10.29% and a return on equity of 13.36%. The business had revenue of $30.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that AT&T Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a $0.2775 dividend. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. AT&T's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AT&T from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Williams Trading set a $30.00 price objective on AT&T in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. HSBC downgraded shares of AT&T from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $30.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of AT&T from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of AT&T in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $30.21.

AT&T Company Profile

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.