Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in T-Mobile US, Inc. $TMUS

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in T-Mobile US by 10% in the first quarter, adding 178,965 shares and bringing its total holding to 1,971,069 shares valued at about $414 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Michael J. Katz sold 5,000 shares, while Andre Almeida bought 5,097 shares, suggesting both buying and selling among company insiders.
• T-Mobile reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $255.76, above its recent trading price.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,971,069 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock after acquiring an additional 178,965 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.18% of T-Mobile US worth $413,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JDM Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in T-Mobile US by 114.0% during the 4th quarter. JDM Financial Group LLC now owns 122 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of T-Mobile US during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. raised its position in shares of T-Mobile US by 3,825.0% during the 4th quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. now owns 157 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC lifted its stake in T-Mobile US by 52.9% during the first quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 159 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in T-Mobile US during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.49% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at T-Mobile US

In other news, insider Michael J. Katz sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.81, for a total value of $979,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 181,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,623,713.30. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andre Almeida bought 5,097 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $196.18 per share, with a total value of $999,929.46. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 44,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,798,673. This trade represents a 12.82% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on TMUS. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of T-Mobile US from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of T-Mobile US from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of T-Mobile US from $300.00 to $285.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Freedom Capital raised T-Mobile US from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded T-Mobile US from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $255.76.

T-Mobile US Price Performance

TMUS stock opened at $188.48 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a market capitalization of $203.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $196.50. T-Mobile US, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.66 and a twelve month high of $261.56.

T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The Wireless communications provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.26. T-Mobile US had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The business had revenue of $23.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that T-Mobile US, Inc. will post 10.65 EPS for the current year.

T-Mobile US Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. T-Mobile US's payout ratio is currently 43.40%.

T-Mobile US Company Profile

T-Mobile US is a national wireless carrier that provides mobile voice, messaging and data services to consumers, businesses and wholesale customers across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company operates a nationwide mobile network and offers device sales, equipment financing and support services through retail stores, online channels and distribution partners. T-Mobile positions its products around bundled service plans, device offerings and value-added features for both individual and enterprise customers.

Product offerings include postpaid and prepaid wireless plans under the T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile brands, as well as connectivity solutions for small and large businesses.

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