Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Telephone and Data Systems crossed above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $45.31 (200‑day MA $42.18) on Monday with volume ~600K shares, a potential technical bullish signal.
• Recent quarter beat expectations — EPS $0.32 vs. $0.09 estimate and revenue $330.7M (up 12% YoY) — but the company still shows a negative full‑year EPS outlook (-$0.16) and a negative PE ratio (-69.23).
• Analyst views are mixed but moderately positive: consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with a $53.33 target (Citigroup raised its target to $56), while some firms have moved ratings in both directions.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $42.18 and traded as high as $45.31. Telephone and Data Systems shares last traded at $45.00, with a volume of 599,923 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TDS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Telephone and Data Systems from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, March 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Telephone and Data Systems from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.33.

Telephone and Data Systems Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of -69.23 and a beta of 0.33. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $44.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.18.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.23. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 2.25% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The business had revenue of $330.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $319.28 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.10) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Telephone and Data Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Telephone and Data Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 51.3% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 681 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 65.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 699 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 121.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 830 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 2,779.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,123 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.00% of the company's stock.

About Telephone and Data Systems

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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