Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average
• Analyst sentiment has improved: Citigroup raised its price target to $56, three analysts rate the stock a Buy, and MarketBeat shows a consensus of Moderate Buy with an average target of $53.33.
• TDS beat quarterly expectations (EPS $0.32 vs $0.09 est.; revenue $330.7M, +12% YoY) but still faces a negative full‑year EPS forecast (−$0.31); it also pays a small quarterly dividend of $0.04 (0.4% yield).

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $41.70 and traded as high as $45.64. Telephone and Data Systems shares last traded at $44.6130, with a volume of 495,413 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on TDS shares. Citigroup increased their price target on Telephone and Data Systems from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. Zacks Research cut shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $53.33.

Telephone and Data Systems Trading Down 1.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.70. The company has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -68.64 and a beta of 0.31.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $330.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $319.28 million. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 2.25% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.Telephone and Data Systems's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.10) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. will post -0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Telephone and Data Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Telephone and Data Systems's payout ratio is presently -24.62%.

Institutional Trading of Telephone and Data Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carronade Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Carronade Capital Management LP now owns 3,680,500 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $144,423,000 after acquiring an additional 288,000 shares in the last quarter. Axecap Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,441,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 456,451 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $17,911,000 after acquiring an additional 80,670 shares in the last quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $144,732,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 244.2% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 45,152 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $1,772,000 after acquiring an additional 32,035 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.00% of the company's stock.

Telephone and Data Systems Company Profile

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc NYSE: TDS is a diversified telecommunications company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides a broad array of communications services, including wireless voice and data, wireline broadband and voice, cable television, and managed IT and cloud solutions. Its two primary operating units—TDS Telecom and U.S. Cellular—serve residential, business and wholesale customers across the United States.

TDS Telecom focuses on delivering broadband internet, digital voice, video and data communications services in primarily rural and suburban markets.

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