AT&T Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:T)

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 70,801 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 27% compared to the typical volume of 55,861 call options.

AT&T Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:T traded down $0.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $20.13. The company had a trading volume of 83,113,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,575,992. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.58. AT&T has a 12 month low of $19.89 and a 12 month high of $29.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.24.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $31.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.29 billion. AT&T had a net margin of 16.94% and a return on equity of 12.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AT&T will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.5%. AT&T’s payout ratio is 37.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AT&T

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in T. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AT&T in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,181,977,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of AT&T by 67.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 42,295,492 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,094,184,000 after acquiring an additional 17,040,328 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in shares of AT&T by 620.8% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 11,891,778 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $295,392,000 after acquiring an additional 10,241,949 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of AT&T by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 332,089,723 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,249,109,000 after acquiring an additional 8,314,678 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of AT&T by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 25,155,597 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $624,865,000 after acquiring an additional 8,297,201 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on T. Citigroup boosted their target price on AT&T from $29.00 to $31.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of AT&T from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AT&T in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of AT&T from $31.50 to $31.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of AT&T from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued 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 an average price target of $30.55.

Key Stories Impacting AT&T

Here are the key news stories impacting AT&T this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity leaned bullish, with investors buying 70,801 AT&T call options, about 27% above typical volume, suggesting traders are positioning for more upside.
• Positive Sentiment: AT&T expanded its Build-A-Plan offering, letting customers bundle wireless with Fiber or Internet Air in one customizable purchase, which could help improve customer retention and average revenue per user. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Another report highlighted AT&T’s push to add home internet options to its modular mobile plans, reinforcing the company’s strategy to deepen its bundled broadband and wireless footprint. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: AT&T remains one of the most-watched telecom names, with articles and previews ahead of earnings keeping investor attention elevated, but these items mostly reflect ongoing market interest rather than a clear new catalyst. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded AT&T, citing rising competition from SpaceX/Starlink as a potential threat to the telecom industry’s growth and pricing power. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EchoStar’s Dish bankruptcy filing after delays tied to its spectrum sale to AT&T adds a layer of transaction uncertainty around a major strategic deal. Article Title

About AT&T

AT&T Inc is a global telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and digital entertainment services. Its core activities include consumer and business wireless services, broadband and fiber internet, and network infrastructure. The company operates branded wireless services through AT&T Mobility and deploys fixed-line and fiber networks to deliver high-speed internet and related home services.

AT&T’s product and service portfolio spans mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and device sales, home internet (including fiber-to-the-home where available), and managed connectivity solutions for enterprise customers.