Short Interest in Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) Decreases By 14.1%

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,810,000 shares, a decline of 14.1% from the November 30th total of 3,270,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,020,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TDS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James raised shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Telephone and Data Systems from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Telephone and Data Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:TDS traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.04. 81,684 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,083,624. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.30 and a beta of 0.81. Telephone and Data Systems has a fifty-two week low of $13.69 and a fifty-two week high of $35.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.19. Telephone and Data Systems had a negative net margin of 10.72% and a positive return on equity of 1.12%. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.16) earnings per share. Telephone and Data Systems’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Telephone and Data Systems will post -0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Telephone and Data Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Telephone and Data Systems’s payout ratio is -2.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TDS. Quarry LP bought a new position in Telephone and Data Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 26.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 10.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,302 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Telephone and Data Systems by 328.9% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 5,974 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 4,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.00% of the company’s stock.

Telephone and Data Systems Company Profile

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc, a telecommunications company, provides communications services in the United States. It operates through two segments: UScellular and TDS Telecom. The company offers wireless solutions to consumers, and business and government customers, including a suite of connected Internet of things (IoT) solutions, and software applications for monitor and control, business automation/operations, communication, fleet and asset management, smart water solutions, private cellular networks and custom, and end-to-end IoT solutions; wireless priority services and quality priority and preemption options; smartphones and other handsets, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, fixed wireless home internet, and IoT devices; and accessories, such as cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards, as well as consumer electronics, including audio, home automation and networking products.