Uniti Group (NASDAQ:UNIT) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Uniti Group (UNIT) from a "hold" to a "strong sell," signaling increased analyst concern about the stock's near-term outlook.
• In its latest quarter Uniti reported a **$1.19** EPS loss versus the consensus **-$0.46** (missing by $0.73), while revenue rose to **$917.3M**, up 212.8% year-over-year.
• Analyst opinions remain mixed—MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Hold" with an average price target of **$7.86**, though individual targets and ratings range from sell to strong-buy (e.g., Raymond James $11 target).

Uniti Group (NASDAQ:UNIT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

UNIT has been the topic of several other reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $11.00 price target on shares of Uniti Group in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Uniti Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. Barclays set a $8.00 price target on shares of Uniti Group in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Uniti Group from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Uniti Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Uniti Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $7.86.

Uniti Group Trading Down 0.1%

UNIT opened at $8.05 on Thursday. Uniti Group has a twelve month low of $5.30 and a twelve month high of $11.73. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.84. The firm has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.50.

Uniti Group (NASDAQ:UNIT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The real estate investment trust reported ($1.19) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by ($0.73). Uniti Group had a negative return on equity of 2.52% and a net margin of 55.60%.The company had revenue of $917.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $909.44 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 212.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Uniti Group will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Uniti Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Uniti Group by 775.7% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,811 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 6,919 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Uniti Group in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Uniti Group by 20.6% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 10,511 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,795 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Uniti Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $72,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Uniti Group during the third quarter worth about $75,000. 87.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Uniti Group Company Profile

Uniti Group Inc is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates and acquires communications infrastructure assets across the United States. Established in September 2015 through a spin-off from Windstream Holdings, Uniti Group focuses on leasing fiber, small cell networks, cell towers and related infrastructure to service providers, wireless carriers and other enterprises requiring high-capacity connectivity. The company's assets are designed to support the growing data demands of residential, business and governmental customers, with an emphasis on long-term contractual lease arrangements.

Uniti's portfolio encompasses an extensive fiber network that spans metropolitan and rural markets, as well as a portfolio of wireless towers and small cell nodes that facilitate mobile network densification and help carriers deploy 5G services.

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