United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United States Cellular from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Raymond James raised shares of United States Cellular from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $86.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

United States Cellular Price Performance

Shares of USM opened at $65.18 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.19. United States Cellular has a fifty-two week low of $32.01 and a fifty-two week high of $69.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a PE ratio of -181.06 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.57.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by $0.15. United States Cellular had a negative net margin of 0.79% and a positive return on equity of 1.55%. The firm had revenue of $970.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $964.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. Equities analysts predict that United States Cellular will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Cellular

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amundi increased its stake in United States Cellular by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,628 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in United States Cellular by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,148 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in United States Cellular by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,029 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $1,969,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in United States Cellular by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 31,300 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,657 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.03% of the company’s stock.

About United States Cellular

United States Cellular Corporation provides wireless telecommunications services in the United States. The company offers wireless services, including voice, messaging, and data services. It also provides wireless devices, such as handsets, tablets, mobile hotspots, home phones, and routers, as well as wireless essentials, including cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards; and consumer electronics comprising audio, home automation, and networking products.