Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $47.49 and last traded at $47.34, with a volume of 50284 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $46.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on TDS. Wall Street Zen lowered Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Zacks Research cut Telephone and Data Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Telephone and Data Systems from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Telephone and Data Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.67.

Telephone and Data Systems Trading Up 1.5%

The firm has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of -44.01 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.97.

Telephone and Data Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.04 dividend. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -14.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 681 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 121.3% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 830 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 53.1% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.